


Twist of Fate

by RhysMerilot



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 23:14:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 164,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8179399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhysMerilot/pseuds/RhysMerilot
Summary: Fate is not what one believes it to be, and when it happens, nobody knows what to expect in the end...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've had this idea in my head for a little while, and while I know many people have re-imagined the series right from the start, I too have had my own ideas and am only now writing it out. There will be moments, especially in the very beginning, where I will borrow some dialogue from the first episode (obviously I take no credit) and use it to my own advantage, aside from that, this is an original story with canon divergence (and at times re-imagining of the beginning, with its own twist as you'll soon see…)
> 
> As I've written this story, I've been subjected to some very targeted hate and harassment (a troll perhaps?) in other stories that I'd been posting at the time of writing this very story, hate that is targeted against me and the way I write these beloved characters of ours, and to me personally, being childish and calling me names, and calling me childish when I call them out on their antics, bullying, and harassment. It's been proven that I'm not the only one, just one in a dozen that is subjected to this individualized hate. While I will never let things like that get me down, it's the sheer positivity that thrives in this fandom and that positivity wins over the hate we all receive on a daily basis that keeps me writing and sharing these stories with all of you. Nothing will ever make me stop writing, not when I love these characters as I can create them beyond what is canon, and not when I can create these characters into people we all can relate to on one level or another. Targeted hate, especially, will never cause me to stop writing, so your attempts are pointless. [You know who you are, so I suggest you stop reading my stories since they're so boring to you and stop wasting your time Felicia/Mindi and mine, thanks. Perhaps you should just find another writer who writes what you want to read or write your own, just a friendly suggestion :)]

A storm was brewing just outside of town, but ten-year-old Henry Mills knew that it wouldn’t quite make it. Most of them never did unless they started in Storybrooke. It was just the way it was, the way it always had been.

He sighed as he leaned against the windowsill and watched the dark clouds skip across the darkening sky. He pressed a palm to the cool glass and his eyes went wide when he heard a wolf howling in the distance. It was faint, but he’d heard it. He’d been hearing it for the last couple of nights ever since the first of October.

“Henry?”

He groaned as his mother knocked on the door. “Yeah?”

“Time for bed,” Regina said as she eased the door open and he turned to her, watching her with her forced smile as she motioned for him to get into his bed. “Did you brush your teeth?”

“Yeah.”

Regina walked over to the bed and pulled back his sheets. He hesitantly climbed into his bed and laid back, keeping an eye on his mother as she tucked him in. It was just a routine, nothing more and even he knew that. She was just playing a role, like an actor in a play or a movie, and he could see right through it all.

“Henry?”

“Yeah?”

Regina sighed as she ran her hands over his hair. “I wish you would talk to me,” she said quietly. “Is there something going on at school?”

“No, school is fine.”

“Then what is it?”

“Nothing,” Henry said tightly. “I’m tired. Good night.”

“Good night, my little prince,” Regina said with a smile as she leaned in to kiss his forehead, just as she did every single night for as long as he could remember.

As soon as his mother was out of his room and the door shut tightly behind her, he threw back the sheets and reached under the bed for the book his teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard, had given to him the week before. It was heavy and old, and the stories inside of it fascinated him. The first time he’d read through it, he hadn’t thought much, just thinking they were any old fairytales, but the next night he flipped through the book again and that’s when things began to fall into place.

So many of the illustrations in the book looked like people in town, but the one he noticed first was how much his own mother looked like the Evil Queen. He stared at one picture for the longest time, and he was convinced that it was her right down to the shape and color of her eyes, to the scar on the right side of her upper lip.

It wasn’t until he’d seen those similarities that he started to see how _different_ Storybrooke really was. Nothing changed, the people didn’t change, nothing in the town changed. Not even the weather, for the most part, changed. It amazed him that he had gone so long thinking that everything he knew was completely normal, but it really wasn’t. It was so far from normal and it got him wondering if he was truly the only one who noticed any of those things.

The more he read the book, the more he began to understand. The town and its people were cursed, cursed because of the Evil Queen, and only the Savior could break the curse and save them all. But who was the Savior? The book said it was the daughter of Snow White and her prince, but Henry didn’t know anyone in town by the name of Emma, and he knew just about everyone because his mother was the Mayor—and the Evil Queen.

Henry flipped through the book to the page where Snow White and Prince Charming had to give up their daughter, put her in the wardrobe to escape from the dark curse so that she could come back to save them all one day.

He closed the book and placed it back under his bed, mindful to put a few of his old comic books on top in case his mother snooped around in the morning. Once he was sure enough time had passed and that she too was in bed for the night, he went to sit at his desk and turned the computer monitor on.

When he was five, his mother told him he was adopted after he’d had a fit of stubbornness and anger. He had a mother, someone out there that had given him up the same way that Snow White and her prince had given up their own daughter. But where was she? Who was she? He’d been curious for years, but never knew how to find her, but thanks to the Internet and it being his only connection to the world outside of Storybrooke, his options were limitless—at least to a point.

Some of the websites he’d found seemed promising, but they all wanted a credit card in order for him to get the information he was seeking. He couldn’t use one of his mother’s since she’d know it was missing right away. He frowned at the screen and the website he had up and knew that tomorrow he’d have to find a way to pay the private investigator that ran the website and offered his services.

He needed to find his birth mother. Surely life with her would be so much better than life with the Evil Queen.

[X]

Regina paced the floor in her study and glanced down at the crystal glass and the cider that was in it. The sounds of the storm off in the distance didn’t worry her, as she knew it would never cross the barrier that kept Storybrooke cloaked from the rest of the world. What worried her was the wolf she heard howling out in the woods not far from the house.

She hadn’t heard it before that month, not in the twenty-eight years since she’d first cast the curse. She knew if she heard the wolf, that she wasn’t the only one.

Anger bubbled through her veins as she continued to pace the floor and she cast a glance at the unlit marble fireplace and scowled as the wolf howled once more, though it was a little fainter than it had been before. She downed the last of her cider and stopped herself from pouring another glass. She needed a clear mind and the cider always made her feel a little out of sorts.

Tightening the belt on her gray robe, she walked out of the study and to the front door as the clock in the hall chimed just as nine o’clock hit. She unlocked and opened the front door, smiling tightly as she saw the police cruiser drive past the house slowly. After a few minutes, the blonde-haired deputy walked up the path to the front door.

“Good evening,” the woman said with a crooked smile.

“Deputy Crane,” Regina said and she stepped aside. “You’re right on time.”

“Is he asleep?”

“He should be.”

The blonde chuckled throatily as she backed Regina up against the wall just before the stairs that led up into the foyer. Regina inhaled deeply and felt her body shudder at the closeness between them. Regina clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and the blonde backed down with a shake of her head.

“Follow me,” Regina said simply and she walked past the deputy to lead the way upstairs to her bedroom. “And do be quiet. Henry nearly caught us the last time.”

There weren’t many people that Regina had under her complete control and those she could bend at will, but Elizabeth wasn’t like the others, not in many ways. The Huntsman, Sheriff Graham, had been a lover for many years, but the novelty had worn off after years and years of their secret trysts. Unlike Graham, Elizabeth Crane was not entirely consumed by the curse, as she had been born in the Enchanted Forest just before it had hit, and she had grown up and flourished into a young woman there in Storybrooke, Maine.

She had also become someone Regina could easily control and bend to her will when the need would arise. She had easily manipulated and molded the young woman to suit her needs, all of them, but there were moments where the roles started to shift, to reverse, and it made Regina feel uneasy.

And she didn’t cope with feeling uneasy well at all. Not when Henry had recently turned against her and was questioning things she had feared since she had first adopted him ten years ago.

“Hey,” Elizabeth said quietly as she placed a hand on Regina’s lower back when they reached the landing on the stairs. “You all right?”

“Fine,” Regina snapped tightly. “Just be quiet, will you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Regina glared at her before continuing the rest of the way up the stairs. She sent the deputy down the hall to her room while she stopped at Henry’s door. She was hesitant to check on him, afraid she’d wake him up. She waited until the deputy disappeared into her bedroom before she eased open Henry’s door and peered inside.

She frowned when she saw his computer monitor was on, but he was in bed with the covers nearly over his head, and his breathing a little erratic. She shook her head and stepped into the room.

“Henry,” she said quietly. “You should be sleeping.”

“I am.”

“You’re not. You have school in the morning.”

“I know.”

“It’s past your bedtime,” Regina reminded him and she tried not to let her bubbling anger surface, not when she had the gorgeous blonde deputy waiting for her in her room. “Henry,” she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I mean it. Go to sleep. No more computer tonight and no comic books either.”

“I know!”

“Last warning and if I check on you again and you’re not sleeping, you’re in some serious trouble. Do you understand?”

“Whatever,” Henry muttered as he turned on his side, his back to her. “You’re not even my real mom! I don’t know why I even listen to you.”

Regina dropped her arms to her side and clenched her fists, her anger boiling through her at hearing those words come from her son’s mouth. She’d heard it plenty, especially in the last week, and it didn’t hurt any less the more he said those things to her, whether behind her back or to her face.

She shut the door to his room behind her and headed down the hallway, fighting with the fury of emotions that were going through her all at once. She paused just outside her room and took a deep breath, a mask of indifference settling over her in the seconds before she flung open the door and strolled into the room like the queen she truly was.

“Now,” Regina said, careful to lock the door behind her. “Shall we pick up where we left off last night?”

“With pleasure, your majesty,” the blonde-haired deputy replied as she stripped out of her clothes with ease. “However do you want me, my Queen?”

Regina licked her lips with hungry desire. The blonde was gorgeous, there was no doubt about that, and though she found their encounters satisfying, there was always that underlying feeling of emptiness every single time. She shook that feeling as she stripped out of her robe, revealing the black silk negligee she wore underneath.

“You know how I want you,” she said lowly as she approached the blonde. “On the bed, on all fours.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

[X]

Sirens blared just off in the distance and when it passed a few minutes later, Emma Swan swore she heard the howl of a wolf as she walked down the quiet, dark street in downtown Boston.

 _Don’t be crazy, there are no wolves in this city, Swan_ , she thought as she turned the corner and crossed the street, using the spare key she had to unlock the door to the apartment building.

She walked into the dimly lit entrance and made sure to pull the door shut behind her, making sure she heard that click that the door had locked. One could never be too cautious, especially in that part of the city where it wasn’t too safe no matter what time of day that it was.

Her whole body ached from the long, tiring day she’d just had and she walked down the front foyer of the building, bypassing the elevators that never worked and that were lazily taped off with green painters tape that had been there since the first time she’d first walked into the building nearly a year ago. She sighed as she pulled open the stairwell door, the hinges creaking loudly and she took the stairs two at a time, barely breaking a sweat as she headed up to the fifth floor.

The jobs at the bail-bonds office had been slow, so slow that she’d taken a job as a waitress in a dive bar just a few blocks away. It meant long, tedious shifts with horrible pay and very little tips, but it also meant that money was still coming in even if it was very little of it.

She scrunched her nose as she walked down the fifth floor hallway, carefully stepping over small piles of garbage that littered the badly stained carpet on the floor. As she passed by one door, she jumped at the sound of the yelling voices just beyond the door and the sound of something slamming hard against a wall from inside that apartment. She continued down the hallway as quickly as her tired and sore feet would take her, and she sighed in relief when she reached the last door on the left.

She knocked tentatively before trying to door and she frowned deeply when she found it unlocked. She stepped into the apartment, the place itself much cleaner and more cheerful than the entire rest of the building, and she was greeted by the smell of pasta cooking in the kitchen along with a pot of coffee that had just been brewed.

“Is that you, Emma?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Emma called out as she removed her converse shoes and placed them on the rubber mat by the door. She made sure to lock the door behind her before making her way down the small hallway to the kitchen. “You know you should keep your door locked all the time, especially in this neighborhood.”

“Those young thugs know not to mess with me,” the old woman said as she turned from the stove when Emma walked into the small, cluttered kitchen. “Nobody messes with Miss Carla in this neighborhood.”

Emma laughed and shook her head. It was true. She knew it as she’d seen the old woman take down three muggers with the giant gray purse she always carried around when she wasn’t home. Emma helped herself to the coffee that was in the pot and leaned against the counter near the stove.

“Was she good today?” Emma asked and she watched the old woman as she stirred the soup in the pot with the wooden spoon for a moment before holding it out for Emma to take a taste. “It’s good.”

“Riley is always good for Miss Carla,” she chuckled softly, but her smile quickly faded as she placed the wooden spoon on the counter and wiped her hands on the red apron she had on. “She is sleeping now. The poor child wasn’t feeling well earlier, but I gave her a nice warm bath and some soup.”

“Does she have a fever?” Emma asked, alarmed as she put the coffee mug down and was about to walk away when the old woman grabbed onto her arm gently. “You should’ve called me, Carla. I would’ve come as soon as I could.”

“She is fine, she is resting. No fever, just a little cough. Nothing too worrisome yet. It is likely just the change in the weather now that autumn has arrived.”

“You know I always worry,” Emma said and she picked up the mug and took a small, tentative sip. “Miss Carla, I need a favor and I hate to ask but—”

“Do not worry about what you owe me,” she said softly, her attention drawn back to the big pot of soup she had on the stove that had just started to boil and bubble. “I told you before not to worry, dear.”

“I know, but it’s just that—”

“Do not worry,” she said again and turned down the dial on the burner. “I know you have been struggling. I understand. Being a single mother is hard enough as it is. As I’ve told you, do not worry. I will look after Riley as if she were my own.”

“Thank you,” Emma said softly and she fought back the tears of gratitude. “You have no idea how much that means to me, how much _you_ mean to us.”

“Things will pick up soon,” Carla said as she picked up the spoon and stirred the soup. “Until then, don’t you worry about what you owe me, do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Emma nodded with a grateful smile. “Is she sleeping in the spare room?”

“Yes,” she replied. “Would you like me to make you up a bowl to take home for dinner?”

“That would be wonderful, Miss Carla. Thank you,” Emma said and she took a sip of her coffee before placing the mug on the counter. “Thank you.”

Emma smoothed her hands over the ghastly pink uniform dress she had to wear to work and made her way out of the kitchen, down the hall and into the small spare room. She eased the door open and didn’t bother to turn on the lights as she made her way over to the sleeping four-year-old in the small, twin-sized bed.

“Mommy?”

Emma smiled as she sat down on the edge of the bed and ran her hand over the soft blonde curls. “I’m here, Riles,” she whispered and she leaned down to kiss her daughter on the forehead. “How are you feeling, kiddo? Miss Carla said you weren’t feeling well earlier.”

“Sleepy.”

“We’re going to go home,” Emma said and she pulled the half-asleep girl into her lap and pressed a hand to her forehead and then to each of her cheeks to check to make sure she really didn’t have a fever. “We’re going to go home, okay?”

“Don’t like it there.”

“I know, kiddo, I know, but remember what I told you, right? That it is only temporary until I find us something better. I promise that’ll happen soon, okay?”

“Tomorrow?”

Emma frowned and shook her head. “Not tomorrow. Not until I can save enough money for that place we saw last weekend. You remember, right?”

“Yes.”

“You liked it there, didn’t you?”

“Yes, Mommy,” Riley nodded sleepily. “Go home now?”

“Let me just get your bag and we’ll go home. Do you want to say goodbye to Miss Carla first?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Emma put her daughter back into the bed and walked out of the small room. She sighed as she picked up a few of the toys on the floor in the hallway and found Riley’s little pink backpack sitting on the bench by the door.

She thanked the old woman for watching Riley all day and promised that she’d find a way to pay her before the week was over. It was a promise she’d been making for months, and one she hated that she couldn’t follow through on.

She was already six days behind on her rent and she barely had twelve cents in her bank account. The tips she’d made that day, all thirty-four dollars worth, had already gone into paying the fees she owed to get the electricity turned back on just so she didn’t have to bring her daughter back to a nearly empty and dark apartment.

Riley slept the walk back to their own building just a block and a half away. Emma frowned as she passed her car on the street, a car she hadn’t driven in two months because she hadn’t had the money to put gas in the tank. The building they lived in wasn’t much better than the one Miss Carla lived in, as it was run-down, dirty, and the last place she even wanted to be even if it was the only place she could afford in the entire city.

Emma tiredly struggled with the key in the front door of the building, dropping them twice as she shifted her sleeping daughter in her arms, still careful not to wake her. A man wearing a hoodie with his face hidden in the shadows of the oversized baseball cap he had on pushed the door open for her and she thanked him with a silent nod as she carried Riley inside.

At least the elevators worked and she stepped inside, stroking a hand over the back of Riley’s head and through her soft blonde curls as she hit number seven and waited for the doors to slide shut. She cursed in her head at the strong smell of urine that filled the elevator and she continued to stroke her fingers through Riley’s hair until they reached their floor.

She had never wanted to have children, not after she had to give up her first child when she was barely eighteen and in prison serving time for a crime she hadn’t committed. She had given up her first child because she didn’t have any other choice. She had to give her son his best chance and at the time, she truly felt like she’d done the right thing. When she found out she was pregnant with Riley, while her situation was no better than it had been six years before that, she didn’t want to give this child up, not even if it meant she would have a better chance than Emma ever had growing up or what Emma could give her.

When Riley was born, a stormy and muggy Sunday in August, she knew from the moment she had held her for the first time that she could not do it again, that she could not give up yet another child and not at least try to give her the best chance in life.

It wasn’t easy; it had been far from it. She had next to no money, nothing to her name aside from the car she’d stolen that had led her to meet Neal, the father of her first child and the reason she ended up in prison in the first place. The first few months had been a test, a very trying test she felt she failed over and over again, but despite how hard it was, nothing beat that feeling she had every time she held her daughter in her arms and saw those piercing green eyes and that smile that melted her heart and made it all worth it.

Emma didn’t know who Riley’s father was, there had been too many men at that point in her life when she’d been living in Tallahassee for the two years before she ended up pregnant with Riley. She didn’t know and she didn’t want to know either because she had made it on her own for four years with Riley and she didn’t need anyone to take care of her daughter, she didn’t need anyone but herself.

As soon as she entered their apartment, she hit the light switch just by the door and groaned as nothing happened. Relying just on instinct and memory, she carried her daughter into the only bedroom in the apartment and placed her in her bed since Riley had long since outgrown her crib and it sat in the corner of the room unused for months on an end.

After she’d tucked Riley in and dropped her pink backpack at the foot of the bed, she headed out into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. She pulled out the last beer she had in there. It was warm, but it’d do. She walked around the apartment, opening up a few of the windows just a crack to let in some fresh air despite the chill in the air outside, and she sipped her beer as she stepped out onto the tiny balcony.

Things were rough, things were always rough, but it was nothing that she wasn’t used to. As she leaned against the metal railing and looked out over the lights of the city that she could see from her balcony, she wished that things could be different. Better. Her wishes never came true. Not ever.

For the first time in a long time, she thought about the baby boy she’d given birth to while handcuffed to the hospital bed, a police officer there at her side while a nurse that had worked a double-shift delivered the baby since the doctor was off on some golf course and unreachable.

She had never held her baby boy, and it was a moment that she regretted when Riley was born and she’d held her for the first time. It was different with Riley, not because she’d been older and in an entirely different place in her life, but because she had allowed herself to hold that baby in the moments after she’d given birth, to hold the baby as she cried and wailed, and she had instantly felt a connection with her, and it was that connection she had felt, that love that was instant, that made her want to try to be the best mother she could be for that little girl.

Even if there were more times, more often than not, where she wasn’t sure how she’d get through the day or the next one after that. When there were days where she didn’t know where she’d get the money to pay the rent, the bills, to provide not just for herself but for Riley too. One way or another she always figured it out, but it was always a struggle. It was the only kind of life she’d ever known. As an orphan, she was always the only one she could count on, the only one she knew that wouldn’t let her down even when she did at the lowest points where she and Riley were living in her car and she was struggling to find any kind of work that would help them keep their heads above water.

Emma exhaled deeply and took a swig of her warm beer. Again she heard the wolf crying out into the night and she shivered. She shivered not because of the chill in the air but because she knew there were no wolves in that part of the city, or anywhere close.

So, why did she hear it for the second time that night?

[X]

Henry dropped the spoon into the nearly empty bowl of Cheerios loudly, the sound startling his mother as he hopped off the stool and grabbed the paper bag lunch that was sitting on the counter for him.

“Come right home after school, Henry,” Regina said as she followed him to the front door, her heels clacking against the tiled floor loudly. “Henry, do you—”

“Yeah, I know. I understand. Home right after school.”

“You and I are going to have a chat about your attitude tonight at dinner,” Regina warned him and he frowned as he stuffed his lunch into his backpack. “Henry—”

“Whatever. Can I go now? I’m going to miss the bus.”

Henry ran out of the house and down to the corner where the bus always stopped to pick him and two others up. He knew he’d already missed it and once he was sure his mother wasn’t following him and watching him, he headed in the opposite direction of the school and down to the harbor. The playground there, the castle, it had always been one place he could escape, especially from his mother, since she didn’t know he liked to go down there when he skipped school.

He had barely climbed up onto the platform before he saw the cruiser come down the dirt road. He frowned deeply when he saw the deputy get out of the car and walk towards him.

“What are you doing here, Henry?”

“Nothing, Deputy Crane,” he said as he stood up and walked down the steps. “I’m just going to school now.”

“Want a ride?” The blonde asked with a smile. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride. You missed the bus, didn’t you?”

“How did you know that?”

“I know a lot of things, Henry,” she replied. “I always patrol in the morning. I see you and a lot of the other kids get on the bus, or in your case, _miss_ the bus. Are you trying to skip school?”

“No,” Henry said quickly. “I just came here to read my book before school.”

“What book? Did you mom get you some new comics?”

“No.”

Henry looked at the deputy skeptically. There had always been something different about Elizabeth Crane. He remembered her when he was little and she wasn’t always the deputy, and that’s when it hit him. His eyes went wide as he looked at the woman and he shook his head. Nobody else in town ever changed, but he did and so did she.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” Henry said quickly. “Nothing, Deputy Crane.”

“Deputy Crane? You always call me Beth, Henry,” she said with a frown. She removed her aviators and shook her head. “Come on, what is it? You know you can tell me anything right? Not just because I’m a police officer,” she said before she added. “I’m your friend too, aren’t I?”

“I—I guess.”

“No, I am, right? How many times have I babysat you?”

“A lot,” Henry said. “More times than I can remember.”

“So, that makes me your friend too, right?”

“I guess so.”

“What? You don’t think so?” The deputy asked before she walked up the castle and sat on the ledge, motioning for him to come and sit with her. “Tell me about your book.”

“It’s just a storybook,” he shrugged before he joined her on the ledge. “A storybook of fairytales. It’s not cool like comic books or anything.”

“Must be cooler than comic books if you’re skipping school to read it, huh?”

“Maybe.”

Henry looked over at the blonde-haired deputy. There was something else about her, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. She seemed familiar but not because he already knew her and because she was a deputy in town, but because of something else.

“Beth?” Henry asked and she turned to look at him. “Have you ever had any kids?”

“Me?” She laughed in disbelief. “No, Henry, I’ve never had any kids. You know that. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know,” he muttered under his breath and after a minute, he decided he could trust her. “I’m looking for my real mom, Beth.”

“Regina is your real mom.”

“No, she’s not. She’s my adopted mom.”

“That still makes her your real mom.”

“No, someone out there is my real mom and she gave me up,” Henry said and he started to feel the hot sting of tears in his eyes. “She gave me up, Beth, but I still want to find her.”

“If she gave you up, it was for a reason,” Beth said quietly and she slung an arm around his shoulders. “Maybe she did it to give you your best chance?”

“With the Evil Queen?”

Beth laughed. “What?” She asked. “You think Regina is the Evil Queen? What kind of stories have you been reading?”

Henry inhaled deeply. “Well,” he paused with a frown. “I don’t know if you’re ready yet, Beth, or if you ever will be.”

“Try me.”

“This town and everyone in it is under a curse, the dark curse,” he said quietly and he looked around them to make sure that they were still very much alone. “My mom, Regina, she’s the Evil Queen from the Enchanted Forest. She cast the curse almost twenty-eight years ago. Snow White and Prince Charming had a baby and she is the Savior. She’s supposed to come and save everyone on her twenty-eighth birthday. I need to find her. What if she doesn’t know?”

“Wait, back up a second here, Henry,” Beth said and she stared long and hard at him. “I thought you were looking for your real mom, not some fictional character that is going to save us all from this so-called dark curse?”

“I am, but can’t I look for her too?”

“I guess so, Hen,” Beth sighed and she glanced down at the silver watch on her left wrist. “Come on, let’s get you to school, okay? Your mom isn’t going to be happy if she finds out you’re out here playing hooky again.”

“Are you going to help me?”

“Help you with what?”

“To find my real mom, Beth.”

The deputy sighed as she hopped down from the ledge and helped Henry down onto the sand. “What do you want me to do?”

“Well,” Henry said with a cheeky smile. “Do you have a credit card and some money I can borrow from you?”

[X]

Regina paced the marble floor in her office and glanced at the clock on the mantel every couple of steps. She had been immersed in endless paperwork, but when the call from the deputy had come in that she’d picked Henry up at the park and took him to school, a nagging feeling at the back of her head started to bother her.

Henry rarely skipped school and it made her furious that he even dared try to. She instructed the deputy to come to her office immediately after making sure he got to class, and now that it’d been nearly twenty minutes too long of waiting, she was growing furious with Deputy Crane.

“Where have you been?” Regina snapped when the door flung open and the young deputy walked into the room.

“I had a call after I dropped Henry off at school,” she replied with a shrug and she walked over to Regina’s desk and perched on the edge with her arms crossed over her chest. “He knows, Regina.”

“He knows what, Elizabeth?”

“About the curse,” she said lowly. “About you.”

“What he knows is nothing more than what he has gotten from that book!”

“So, you know about the book?”

“Of course I know about the book,” Regina scoffed. “I found it when I was cleaning one night when he was doing his homework with you. He doesn’t know that I’ve found it.”

“Did you read it?”

“Of course I did,” she said and she sighed as she approached the deputy, her lover, and wished she could seek out the release she always found with her. “What else did he tell you?”

Elizabeth shrugged nonchalantly and reached out for Regina’s hands. She allowed the gesture for only a few seconds before she shot the woman a glare of warning.

“He said he is looking for his real mom,” she said quietly and Regina started pacing once again, furious that the deputy knew something she didn’t. “He wants to borrow my credit card and some money to help find her.”

“And? You told him no, didn’t you?”

“I told him I’d think about it,” Elizabeth shrugged. “Of course I’m not going to give it to him, Regina. He knows about the curse, he knows about you—”

“And there’s no telling what else he knows,” Regina finished and she groaned in annoyance.

She stared at the blonde-haired woman and scowled. She knew a lot of things, she knew of the curse and who she truly was, but what the woman didn’t know was who _she_ was or why she was one of the very few that had escaped from the curse in the same way that Henry had.

The town was filled with secrets, Regina had more than a few of her own, and they were secrets she was not ready to be found out, least of all by her son.

“Lend him the card, Deputy. I’ll take care of the rest.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for their support for the first chapter! I have this amazing cover art that I cannot wait to share, but since it contains spoilers, I'm holding off until after this chapter has been up for a day or two!  
> Keep in mind, it'll be a little while before Emma and Regina actually meet face to face, but that's the beauty of a slow burn, isn't it?  
> Enjoy and don't forget to tell me what you thought of this chapter!

For the next two weeks, Emma Swan heard the wolf every night around the same time, just after eight-fifteen. She was convinced it was just her imagination and the fact that she had been working for the bail-bonds office for the last week.

Things had started to pick up. She made enough from her first two jobs to put a deposit on a new apartment, one in a nicer and safer neighborhood. They were moving in the next day and Emma couldn’t sleep, far too excited and exhausted all at once. Packing had been easy, packing was always easy since she and Riley didn’t have much at all.

“Mommy?” Riley whispered as she walked into the kitchen. “Where my toys?”

“Riles, I told you, we’re moving into the new place tomorrow morning and all your toys are packed up,” Emma sighed and she frowned when she saw the scared look on her daughter’s face because of the snappy tone she’s spoken in.

“Okay.”

“Come here,” Emma said as she placed her beer on the counter and crouched down to wrap her arms around Riley. She inhaled deeply, smiling at the soft smell of the shampoo she’d used when she’d bathed Riley earlier in the evening. “I promise that everything is going to be better starting tomorrow okay, baby?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

“You remember that place we looked at right? The nice apartment with the big windows?”

“Yeah!”

“That’s where we’re going to go live.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” Emma laughed and she kissed the side of Riley’s head and ran her fingers through her still damp curls. She stood up and picked Riley up with a heavy, tired sigh. “Come on, baby girl, let’s get you back into bed. We have a big day ahead of us, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Emma kissed her chubby cheeks over and over again until Riley was squealing and laughing in delight. She carried her into the bedroom and flopped down on the bed in a way that made Riley laugh even harder. She moved to put her back in her spot on the bed and pulled the light blue sheet up over her little body.

“Maybe tomorrow we can buy you a bed of your own,” Emma said softly as she brushed the curls away from Riley’s eyes. “What do you think about that? A big girl bed of your own?”

“Really? All for me?”

“All for you!”

“For me?”

“For you!”

They laughed and Emma laid down beside her and snuggled into her. She had never been able to give Riley a lot of things, the occasional toy, and clothes when she needed them, but just barely being able to afford anything more than what she found in a second-hand store.

Emma watched her daughter and stroked over her hair until Riley fell into a deep sleep with ease. There were a lot of moments, especially when she watched Riley fall asleep when she wondered how different her life would’ve been if she had kept her son too. It was too late to change that, she knew that, but it never stopped her from wondering, from dreaming.

She kissed Riley’s forehead and quietly made her way out of the room to finish packing the rest of the kitchen before she too called it a night.

She was halfway through wrapping some of the glasses in newspaper when her phone started to buzz where she’d left it charging on the counter. She glanced at the screen, rolled her eyes and answered it.

“Yeah?”

“Swan,” Her boss Jeffery Poole said gruffly. “Got another job for you.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now,” he barked into the phone. “No, tomorrow, kiddo. Pays well too, if you’re interested?”

“Yeah, I’m interested,” Emma said and she grabbed the pad of paper and one of Riley’s red crayons. “Give me the info and I’ll see what I can do.”

Jeffery Poole gave her the details on the man he needed her not only to serve a court order to, but to apprehend him and bring him in. There was a warrant out for his arrest and the reward was more than enough for Emma not to worry about rent, about food, about bills until after Christmas.

Like most jobs that Jeffery had given her in the last couple of weeks, she didn’t get her hopes up. It wasn’t an easy job and the mark was slipperier than a snake. It was also a job that wouldn’t take just a day or two; it could take weeks, maybe even a month. She promised him she’d get right on top of things and reminded him that she was moving into her new apartment the next morning before she ended the call, grabbed her laptop out of the box she’d packed it in and set it up on the kitchen table.

By the time the sun rose in the morning, she had everything she could find on the new mark, a man named Don Arthur, a conman who had been charged with forgery, tax evasion, amongst a plethora of other charges. He was in his early forties, divorced, and on the run after skipping out on his bail that morning. She also found out he had a soft spot for blonde women that were younger than him, and once she found that out, she knew it’d be a breeze to get this man to agree to meet with her.

“Mommy?” Riley asked sleepily as she walked into the kitchen just after six that morning. “I’m hungry.”

“Okay, baby,” Emma smiled and she closed the lid to the laptop and found one of the bowls she’d already packed away. She grabbed the milk out of the fridge and gave it a sniff before she poured Riley a bowl of cheerios. “Are you ready to move into our new place, Riles?”

“Yeah!”

Emma glanced at the digital clock on the stove. “We need to go pick up the truck in an hour. Hurry up and eat, okay?”

“Okay,” Riley replied before shoving a large spoonful of cheerios into her mouth and grinned after she’d chewed and swallowed it quickly. “And I get a big girl bed?”

“Yes, baby, and then we’ll get you a big girl bed, but we’re going to go and see Miss Carla after we move our stuff into the new place okay?” She said and Riley frowned. “I have to work today, baby girl. I promise that I won’t be gone too long, okay? Then after I come and pick you up, we’ll go and see about getting you a big girl bed all of your own.”

She hated making promises to Riley since she normally could never keep them because she didn’t have to means to, but things were different, things were starting to look up now.

Emma frowned when Riley didn’t respond and just looked down into her bowl of cereal sadly. She reached over and gently cupped her chubby face. “Riles?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

“Finish up your cereal and we’ll get dressed,” Emma said with a smile that wasn’t returned. “Then we’ll go to our new place, yeah?”

Riley just nodded and slowly scooped another spoonful of cheerios into her mouth. Emma sighed heavily and rubbed at her tired eyes. It was going to be a very long day and the one thing on her mind was trying to find an hour or two to get some sleep even though she knew that wouldn’t happen.

Things were looking up, but not quite the way she wanted them to. It was a Saturday and those days were usually meant it was just she and Riley spending time together. Riley was young, but she was smart, and she caught on to things very quickly. Emma wasn’t sure what Riley’s mood was going to be like after she dropped her off at the sitter’s, but she was hoping to make it up for her after she finished the job.

[X]

“Henry!” Regina called up the stairs as she fiddled with her right earring, struggling to get the back on. “I’ve got a meeting at the office today,” she said when he didn’t answer. “I won’t be back until four, okay?”

“Fine!”

She frowned as she looked into the mirror and ran her fingers through her short hair. Her Saturday’s were spent at the bed and breakfast with the deputy since she certainly couldn’t have the deputy over to her home when Henry wasn’t in school or in bed sleeping. It had been happening for years, ever since the young deputy had made the first move. It hadn’t been intentional, the affair she was having with her, but over time, it became something that she looked forward to despite the secrets that surrounded the woman’s true identity.

Regina scoffed and headed upstairs to Henry’s room, picking up his shoes off one of the steps. “Henry, I told you not to leave your shoes lying around,” she said as she placed them on the floor just inside his bedroom door. “Henry?”

“What?” He asked as he looked up from the comic he was reading as he laid on his bed. “I forgot to pick them up, that’s all. I won’t do it again.”

“Fine,” Regina said tightly. “Remember, you are to stay here until I get home. Sheriff Graham will come around to check on you, okay? Don’t you dare leave the house.”

“Where am I supposed to go?” Henry asked, his attention turned back to the comic book. “Stay home. Do nothing. Do homework. Don’t use the stove and don’t let any strangers in.”

Regina frowned and she walked over the few steps to the bed and tried to drop a kiss on the top of his head, one he moved away from quickly. She frowned deeply as she stepped back and smoothed her hands over her blue dress.

“How about we do something tonight, just the two of us?” Regina asked and he shrugged. “We can make tacos for dinner if you’d like? I can stop at the store on the way home and get everything we need.”

“Sure, whatever.”

“Henry—”

“Tacos sound fine, Mom,” Henry said with a heavy sigh.

“Good, I’ll see you just after four then.”

Regina headed back downstairs and after making sure all the doors were locked, she headed out the front door and locked it behind her. She got into her car and drove to the bed and breakfast with her mind racing as it normally did whenever Henry gave her attitude.

She had been struggling long before he started talking to her like that, treating her like she wasn’t his mother. She’d been struggling ever since she’d told him that he was adopted and for years she’d wondered if she’d made a mistake in telling him the truth, especially now that he was older and his curiosity about his birth mother had piqued his interest.

The adoption had been closed and it was the only reason Regina had felt comfortable following through with it in the first place. A closed adoption meant that Henry’s birth mother and father would never be able to find him or even inquire about him, and vice versa. To find out from Elizabeth that Henry had told her he was looking for his real mom, that he was possibly close to finding her, it enraged her to no end.

She walked into the bed and breakfast after she parked her car near the town hall. Granny was behind the desk, snoring, and that suited Regina well since she was in no mood to converse with the woman that morning.

She reached the room she and the deputy always met up in every Saturday morning and knocked three times before she let herself in. The shades were closed and the curtains were drawn shut, and the only light came from the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and locked it, smiling as she felt the deputy’s arms snake around her from behind.

“I can’t ever fool you in trying to surprise you, can I?”

“Never,” Regina whispered huskily. “Have you been waiting long?”

“Five minutes,” Elizabeth replied as she moved her hands to slip the zipper down Regina’s dress while trailing wet, hot kisses along the back of her neck.

Regina moaned as Elizabeth’s hands pulled her dress down and she turned around, stepping out of it as she stared at the blonde woman with a predatory and hungry look in her eyes. The deputy was already naked, save for a pair of skimpy blue panties, and Regina stepped past her, leading the way to the double bed with a slight sway in her hips, knowing exactly how much it turned the deputy on endlessly.

And if she was being honest, the power play between them turned her on and made her feel ways she hadn’t felt in a long time, but there was always something missing. Always.

Something she didn’t know but always chalked up to the empty feeling in her heart that had been there from the night her mother had killed Daniel in front of her. It was an emptiness nobody would ever be able to fill, it was the driving force of who she was, who she had become, and the woman she was still to that very day. There was only one who had managed to fill a little bit of that void and that was Henry, but with the way he was pushing her away from him, that void was becoming larger and larger with every passing day.

Regina allowed herself to push away her thoughts, to focus on the blonde deputy as they kissed hungrily. Regina stopped her, clenching on to her jaw as she pushed her away and she scowled, shaking her head.

“Do not kiss me again. Not today. Do you understand?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Good,” Regina exhaled sharply. “Now, get on the bed and take your panties off. Spread yourself for me.”

“With pleasure, my Queen.”

[X]

Emma ran down the street, checking her watch as she tried to catch a break in the traffic. She’d met her mark, but she hadn’t gotten much further than a basic introduction before he left, disappearing into the crowd just outside the café she’d met him at. It had been disappointing, to say the least, but he knew her now, he’d met her, and he wasn’t suspicious of her. Not yet at least.

Finally, she caught a break in the busy traffic and made her way up the street to Miss Carla’s building. A man exited the building as she approached the door and he just smiled, holding the door open for her. With a nod of thanks, she rushed towards the stairs and up to the fifth floor, a feat not too easy wearing heels and a tight red dress.

Emma knocked on the door and tried the handle, relieved that for once Miss Carla remembered to lock the door. When the old woman answered it, she looked tired, and she said nothing as she stepped aside to let Emma inside.

“I’m sorry, I know I said I’d only be a few hours—”

“It’s not me you should be apologizing to,” she said quietly. “Riley has been in a fit since you didn’t show up before dinner as you promised her.”

“The job, the initial meeting, it took longer than I expected and he just took off. I don’t know if he got spooked or he might’ve seen a cop and bailed.”

Miss Carla just shook her head and led the way into the kitchen. “Riley is in the living room,” she said. “Do you want any leftovers from lunch? We made shepherds pie without the pie part and Riley called it mud.”

Emma laughed and shook her head. “No, it’s all right, I was going to take her out for dinner tonight. Did you already feed her?”

“No, I was about to heat up the leftovers though,” she replied. “Don’t be surprised if she doesn’t talk to you. She’s quite upset and there’s no telling how long Dora will keep her from crying.”

Emma frowned and headed into the living room. It was dark, the drapes drawn shut to keep the early evening sun out. Riley sat on the floor just a few feet away from the old TV set with Dora the Explorer playing though the volume was low.

“Hey,” Emma said and she slipped off her heels and managed to sit on the floor beside Riley without much of a struggle due to her tight dress. “Hey, are you mad at me, baby girl?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma said, pouting as Riley turned to look at her and then quickly looked back at the TV. “Come on, Riles, you know I had to work. I couldn’t turn this job down, not when we won’t have to worry about money for a few months if I get this guy.”

“He a bad guy?”

“The law thinks so,” Emma said with a subtle nod. “I didn’t get him, though, baby. Next time.”

“Tomorrow?”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t get big girl bed?”

“Did I say that?” Emma frowned. “Come on, it’s not too late to go find one now, okay?”

“No.”

“No? I thought you wanted a big girl bed?” Emma asked and Riley looked back at her with confused eyes. “It’s not too late to go find one now. Maybe we can even get it delivered tomorrow, okay?”

“No!”

“Riley!”

“It Saturday, Mommy,” Riley said and she was shaking with anger as she got up from the floor. “It _our_ day!”

“I know, Riles, I know it is our day, but I had to work.”

“Don’t like it when you work,” Riley pouted. “It our day, Mommy. Not work. Just you and me!”

Emma got up from the floor and scooped Riley up in her arms despite her struggling to get away. She sat on the couch and held Riley in her lap, holding her firmly so that she couldn’t wriggle out her hold.

“Riles, I know you don’t understand why I had to work today or that we need the money. I know it was our day and I promise you, I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

“Fine,” Riley muttered as she buried her face into Emma’s neck as her hot tears spilled from her eyes. “We go home now, Mommy?”

“Don’t you want to go buy a big girl bed first?” She asked and she felt Riley shake her head no. “So, you really don’t want a big girl bed of your own? Where are you going to sleep? You have your own room now. You know that you can’t sleep on the floor.”

“I sleep with you, Mommy. Like always.”

Emma sighed as Miss Carla walked into the living room and turned off the TV before she flipped on the lamp beside the couch. She rubbed Riley’s back, trying to soothe her tears and the small sobs that wracked her little body.

“You just turned four, Riles, you can’t sleep in my bed forever,” Emma reminded her gently while Miss Carla watched and listened. “Come on, how about we say goodbye and thank Miss Carla for looking after you all afternoon and we can go and get some pizza if you’d like?”

“Pizza?” Riley pulled her face away from Emma’s neck and sniffled. “Hot dogs!”

“You want hot dogs on your pizza?”

“No silly,” Riley laughed. “Don’t want pizza, want hot dogs!”

“How many hot dogs do you want?”

“Five!”

Emma laughed as she stood up and shifted Riley to her hip while she slipped her heels back on. “Five hot dogs? Where are you going to fit five hot dogs, baby girl?”

“In my tummy!” Riley said proudly and Emma couldn’t help but laugh again. “Bye Miss Carla!”

“Thank you,” Emma said as the old woman walked them to the door. “I can come around tomorrow morning with what I owe you. I didn’t get a chance to get to the bank today.”

“Nonsense,” she said as she waved her off. “You can pay me next pay you get. You just moved into a new apartment. You have other expenses to worry about now, dear.”

“Are you sure? I feel like I owe you more than I can ever pay you.”

“Riley is like family, you are too,” Miss Carla replied and she wrapped her arms around them both. “Now go on, there are still a few hours left on your day together you can enjoy.”

“Thank you,” Emma whispered and she hugged Miss Carla a little tighter. “I swear I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Emma left the Miss Carla’s apartment holding on to Riley until they reached the stairwell. She had Riley walk down while holding tight onto her hand, both of them making a game out of avoiding the garbage that still littered the stairwell. Once they were out on the street, Emma picked Riley back up and moved her until she was on her back.

Riley laughed, her mood from earlier gone in a moment, her laughter increasing when Emma neighed like a horse and tried to walk quickly down the street in her heels and her too tight dress with Riley on her back.

Nobody ever taught her how to be a mother, but it was something she had eventually learned through trial and error. Yet, to see her daughter happy, even at times where they could barely pay the rent and the bills, it made it all worth it and it made her only want to continue to do better. Not for herself. No, it was never just for _her_ anymore. It was all for Riley.

They stopped at a small stand around the corner from their new place and Emma bought them each a foot long hot dog that they ate on a bench in the park across the street. She watched Riley run off to play when she finished her hot dog, laughing as she hoisted herself up onto the swing. Emma thought again about the baby boy she’d given up ten years ago and wondered how different or how alike he and Riley really were.

Sure, they had different father’s, that made them not quite the same in a lot of ways, but Emma couldn’t help but wonder. What was her son like? Did he have blonde hair like she and Riley did or did he look more like his father? Was he shy? Or was he more like Riley was, smart, outgoing and outspoken even at just four years old.

“Mommy, look!” Riley laughed as she got herself going on the swing without any help. “I did it!”

“That’s great, Riles!” Emma called out and she swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in her throat.

Riley was growing up so fast, too fast, and she was becoming independent, a trait Emma had since she was young too but for very different reasons.

Emma knew that her son could be anywhere. Anyone could’ve adopted him or he could’ve ended up in the system, lost and unwanted, just as she had been. There was never anything she could do, not then and not now. All she could ever do was wonder and hope that his life had been better than hers and as good, if not even better than the life she was trying to give to Riley.

Emma looked up to the sky and watched the dark clouds that began to roll in. October had brought a lot of storms especially at night, and she didn’t want to be caught out in the rain two blocks from her car.

“Riles!” Emma called out as she got up from the bench and walked over to the swings. “Come on, let’s go before the rain comes.”

“Okay, Mommy! Watch!” Riley said and with one more swing, she managed to jump off and barely landed on her feet, but Emma wasn’t worried. Riley was like a little monkey. “I did it!”

“You did!” Emma laughed as she scooped her up. “Come on, let’s go to the car and maybe we can go and get that big girl bed for you, okay?”

“Okay.”

[X]

A loud crack of thunder pulled Regina from the deep slumber she had fallen into and she woke up with a start, not just from being woken by the thunder, but because she knew she had stayed too late.

She turned in the bed and ran her hands over the empty side, the sheets still warm from where the deputy had been sleeping as well, she imagined. She glanced at the clock and frowned when she saw that it was past six. She was two hours late in getting home to her son and it wasn’t something that ever happened since she had always been so careful.

“Elizabeth?” Regina called out as she got out of the bed and found her dress on the floor where it had been left that morning once the deputy had slipped it off of her. “I need to go. I’m late getting home and Henry is going to be wondering where I am.”

“I meant to wake you,” Elizabeth said from inside the bathroom where the door was left open just a crack. “I’m late for my shift. I wanted to grab a quick shower. I was going to wake you before I left.”

Regina slipped her dress on and struggled with the zipper. She walked over to the mirror, grabbed her lipstick out of her purse, and carefully applied it to her lips. She ran her fingers through her hair and inhaled deeply as she heard the shower turn off. She walked over to where she’d left her heels and stepped into them just as Elizabeth walked out of the bathroom, naked save for the towel she was using to dry her shoulder length blonde hair.

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth said softly. “I should’ve woke you up earlier, but I don’t know, it looked like you needed the rest after the day we just had together.”

“What I need to do is get back home to my son, my son who was expecting me home at four. Two hours ago.”

“Tell him your meeting ran late.”

Regina laughed bitterly and grabbed her purse. “I plan to, but that doesn’t mean he is going to believe me, is he, Miss Crane?”

“Are we back to that?” She laughed and she stalked towards Regina and then moved to stand between her and the door. “You haven’t called me for a long time, at least not when we’re not playing,” she said with a teasing laugh. “Are we playing now, my Queen?”

“No,” Regina snapped, her resolve firmly in place. “Step aside. Now. I need to get home to my son.”

Elizabeth tossed the wet towel towards the bed and placed her hands on her hips defiantly. “Regina, I know this game.”

“This is not a game!” Regina said, careful not to raise her voice. “I am trying to leave!”

“Then go.”

“When will I see you again?” Regina asked when Elizabeth slyly moved away from the door. “Monday?”

“Sure,” she nodded with a slight shrug. “Monday.”

Regina raked in the sight of the naked and wet blonde, and she had to keep her resolve and leave instead of pushing the woman to the bed and having her way with her yet again.

Regina left the bed and breakfast, careful not to be seen as she exited out of the back of the building and headed to where she’d parked her car that morning. It had become so routine for her to meet up with the beautiful blonde deputy, not only every Saturday for years, but whenever the need aroused.

It had happened purely by accident. It was shortly before Henry’s second birthday. She’d left him in the care of Sheriff Graham since he had been the only one she could trust for many years aside from Sidney Glass. She only wanted a break, a break from being the mayor, a break from being a mother. She ended up in the last place she’d ever thought she’d find herself, the Rabbit Hole, and that was when she’d met twenty-year-old Elizabeth Crane.

Of course she’d known her long before that very night, but she hadn’t let on, not in the beginning at least. She had vowed she was never to become involved with Elizabeth since she’d cast the curse and spared her a life of never changing, never aging, never becoming the woman she eventually became. Even now, Regina wasn’t sure _why_ she had spared her, but it had been a spur of the moment decision and one that played on her mind a lot over the years.

Once in her car, she picked up her cell phone, a flip phone she’d had since just before she adopted Henry. She called the house and was relieved when Henry answered the phone after the third ring. She told him her meeting had run late and that she’d be home soon. His response was just as it had been for the last couple of weeks, short and clipped, and full of attitude.

Instead of stopping at the store first, she drove to the cemetery and headed for her vault. She parked about fifty feet away and stopped by the patch of roses she’d planted to pick one for her father before entering her vault.

It wasn’t often that she went there; only when she felt that driving need to escape from the world she’d been cursed into. She too had fallen to the curse in ways she had never imagined in ways she couldn’t escape from either. Henry was supposed to be that for her, but it hadn’t always been easy with him, and now he knew, or at least he was starting to figure it all out, and she wasn’t sure what would happen next.

After pushing her father’s coffin aside once she’d laid the single rose on top, she headed down to her vault and lit a few candles before she began to pace. Her mind was spinning, more so than it had in a long time, and her anger was raging, boiling just under the surface and she had no way to release it.

Elizabeth had never been a part of the plan, she was never meant to survive the curse, not the way she had. Regina had only found out that Snow White and her prince were expecting twins, not just a baby, but _twins_ , in the hours before she first cast the curse. She had hoped the curse hit before Snow White gave birth, but she soon found out that she had been too late.

Her anger and her need for vengeance had been strong and overwhelming. She had raced to the White Castle in hopes of snatching both of the newborn babies just before the curse had hit. She had hoped that by claiming them, killing them, in the moments before the curse hit, that it would be one of her final acts of vengeance against Snow White.

It wasn’t just about vengeance, it was about making sure the curse fell into place flawlessly and that it could never be undone. She had been told of a prophecy that one of the babies would be born a savior, and when she had gotten everything she needed together to cast the curse, Rumplestiltskin had told her that the only way she could ensure the curse stayed in place was to make sure the savior didn’t survive.

There was no way of telling which child was the savior, and in the moments before the curse had hit, and moments after she found out that Snow White’s beloved Prince Charming had managed to save one of them by sending her off in a wardrobe to another land, Snow held the other and begged her to take her life instead of her child’s. Regina had snatched the baby from Snow’s helpless arms and even now she didn’t know what compelled her to cast the spell upon the newborn that would keep her from feeling the effects of the curse, but she had done it and when she woke up, the child was no longer with her.

It had only taken her three days to discover that Snow White and Prince Charming’s other child had been placed into a home, a family of peasants, sheep farmers in the old world, and she left it be, allowing them to raise the child as their own, oblivious that she was not theirs for many, many years.

For many years, she checked in on the family, the Crane’s, and they had named her Elizabeth because that is what had been embodied onto the blanket that the child had been wrapped in when Regina snatched her out of her mother’s arms. She had watched her grow up for the first couple of years of her life before she could no longer stand the sight of the beautiful blonde-haired child that was never supposed to have survived the curse at all.

Regina paced in long strides along the stone floor, scowling at the state of her vault as it had been far too long since she’d been there last. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling, the walls, and dust covered everything. She scowled as she kicked at an old copper pot that had fallen from its spot on one of the shelves and her thoughts went right back to Elizabeth Crane.

It had been an accident, a drunken accident that night she ran into her at the Rabbit Hole. She had hardly recognized her as it had been many years since she’d seen her or even bothered to check in on her and the family that the curse had placed her with. All Regina had seen in the moment was a beautiful young woman, a woman who wanted her from the moment she had laid her sea-green eyes on her from the other end of the bar in the smoky, dimly lit room.

The first night, she never even knew her name, never knew her as anything more than Beth. In her drunken stupor, she hadn’t been able to place who she’d been in the Enchanted Forest, but Beth had been quick to make her forget about everything and everyone except for her.

When Regina had found out, it had been weeks after their one-night stand had turned into one occurrence after another, and she had found it maddening and filled with irony that she ended up bedding Snow White’s daughter. With that knowledge, she began to prime the young woman, she earned her trust and bent her to her will whenever she saw fit.

After nearly a year of their trysts, Regina found out just how self-aware Elizabeth was. Elizabeth noticed everything, the lack of changes in the town, the way people were, and she noticed how different Regina was as well. Regina never told her anything, but Elizabeth was smarter than she took her for. She knew something was off, but after years of mentioning it, she came close on more than one occasion.

Not that long ago Regina had stupidly, one night after few too many drinks and after she’d beckoned Elizabeth to come to her in the middle of the night, told her almost everything. She’d left out a lot of things but told her enough to make her stop questioning some of the things she saw and felt. Elizabeth Crane was aware of the curse and that magic existed in another land that had made it possible for the curse to exist there in that world. She was aware of who Regina had been a long time ago and even after Regina told her, Elizabeth never once treated her any different, but their trysts had changed and that’s when the power play and the games had started.

For years she thought she could use the fact that she had that semblance of control over the daughter of her enemy, but it had changed and she knew it had changed. Everything had changed. It was no longer just about that, about vengeance, about control. It hadn’t been for a very long time.

Regina yelled as loud as she could, a roar that rattled her bones, and she stalked out of the vault and went right back to her car, fuming. Things were changing, they’d been changing for a long time, but she was _not_ prepared for the changes that were coming. Changes she would never be able to control.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank you guys for your continued support and most of all for your patience. Slow burn stories are hard to gain an audience for for sure, but I promise you it will be worth the wait! Some of the twists I have planned and the SwanQueen endgame will make the bit of wait worth it! I cannot express how excited I am to bring this story and the ideas I have with it to fruition! Patience is a virtue! I always love to hear what you guys think, your thoughts on where things are going, etc, so don't forget to leave a little something something!

Henry had a weird suspicion that something was going on with his mother. He’d had that suspicion before, but it wasn’t as strong as it had been in recent weeks. His suspicion had only grown when his mother hadn’t returned from her meeting the previous Saturday, not for almost two and a half hours after she told him she’d be home.

Something was going on, he wasn’t sure what, but knowing that she was the Evil Queen he figured she was up to no good. Just what she was up to, he didn’t know, but he’d figure it out one way or another.

The favor he’d asked Beth had come through earlier in the week. She ran into him while she was on patrol when he was walking home from the bus stop. She’d willingly handed over the credit card with one condition; he’d pay her back whatever he charged on the card. He stayed up late that night writing the email to the private investigator and sent along the credit card information that was requested.

He had no idea how long he’d have to wait. The man responded to him before the next morning and told him he’d be in touch if he found anything with what little information Henry had provided him. All he had was nothing more than his birthdate and where he’d been born, but he hoped it was enough to find his real mom.

On October 20th, a Thursday, Henry came home from school to an empty house and a note from his mother informing him she’d be home late due to yet another after-hours meeting. He ran upstairs and checked his email, just as he’d done every day for the last week since he’d sent the PI the email with his information.

When he opened his inbox, there was finally the email he had been waiting for. There was nothing more than a name and an address in Boston. He had hoped for a picture, maybe some more information, but he had a name and an address, and now all he had to do was find a way to get there.

A half an hour of searching later, he found a bus that was leaving early on Sunday morning. Never in all his life had he ever seen a bus leaving town, but maybe it was fate or something else he’d decided as he grabbed his allowance money and rode his bike down to the bus station on the other side of Storybrooke to buy the ticket that would take him to Boston Sunday morning.

The man behind the counter barely batted an eye as he printed off the ticket and took the money. Henry hid the ticket inside his storybook in his bag and raced home as fast as he could pedal.

“Henry!” Regina said as he skidded to a stop in the driveway. “Where have you been?”

_Busted_. Henry frowned as he got off his bike and walked it around to the side of the garage. He leaned it against the wall and turned to face his very angry mother.

“Well?” His mother asked as she stared down at him. “Where have you been, Henry? You know that you are expected to come home right after school!”

“I was bored. I just went for a bike ride,” Henry muttered under his breath. “Am I not allowed to go for a bike ride?”

“I came home and you were not here. I had no idea where you were or if anything had happened to you,” Regina said and Henry frowned as he looked up at her and swore he saw a hint of worry in her eyes beyond the anger. “You know how I worry about you when I don’t know where you are, Henry.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I won’t do it again.”

“Good,” she said, easily believing his lie. “Now, go on inside and get washed up for dinner. Sheriff Graham is coming over shortly.”

“Why?”

“Because I invited him over for dinner, Henry.”

Henry pulled a face. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the sheriff he just didn’t understand the friendship his mother had with him. Regina was the sheriff’s boss and sometimes she had him come over to babysit when she had meetings or was working late.

“Go on, get inside and wash up,” Regina urged him. “I’ve ordered Chinese for dinner tonight. I thought we deserved to have take-out for a change.”

“Really?” Henry’s eyes lit up and he ran around to the back door and inside.

Take-out meant babysitting, though not always, but he wasn’t going to complain since his mother very rarely ordered anything in, whether it was Chinese food or pizza. He ran up the stairs to his room and threw his bag on his bed. He took out his book with the bus ticket still tucked inside the pages and slipped the book under his bed where he always kept it.

He washed up and headed back downstairs just as the sheriff arrived at the front door. He watched from the landing as his mother let him in and they spoke quietly at the front door before she led the way up the stairs into the foyer.

“Hey, Henry,” the sheriff said with a small smile and a wave. “Hope you’re hungry,” he said as he held up the paper bag with the take-out inside.

“He’s a growing boy, he’s always hungry, Sheriff,” Regina laughed and she motioned at Henry to come downstairs and the three of them walked into the dining room together. “Henry, can you help me with the plates?”

“Yeah,” Henry replied and he followed her into the kitchen. “Is he babysitting tonight?”

“No,” Regina said as she pulled three plates down from the cupboard. “Why do you ask?”

“Because every time he comes for dinner he ends up babysitting me. I’m ten, Mom. I don’t need a babysitter. You let me stay home a lot alone any other time!”

“Except at night,” Regina replied and she shook her head as she handed the plates to Henry. “He’s not babysitting. I simply invited him over for dinner. You know that Graham and I have been friends for a very long time, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought it’d be nice to have dinner with someone else tonight. Take the plates into the dining room, will you?”

Henry just stared at her for a moment before carrying the plates into the dining room as he’d been asked. The Sheriff already had pulled out the various cartons of food from inside the bag and he winked as he popped a chicken ball into his mouth. Henry rolled his eyes and took his usual seat just as his mother came back in with a glass of milk for him and a bottle of wine for her and Graham.

He listened to his mother and the sheriff talk about work, boring things like paperwork and the upcoming carnival that would be held on Halloween. Henry had been looking forward to it when he’d sat in on a town hall meeting over the summer and the idea was first proposed, but now he could care less because it sounded really lame.

He barely ate much food at all, his appetite ruined by the way his mother blatantly flirted with Sheriff Graham as if he wasn’t even sitting there at all. He excused himself when he finished at least half of what his mother had put on his plate and he ran up the stairs to his room before she could protest.

The first thing he did was turn on the computer monitor and read the email the private investigator had sent him about his birth mother. Emma Swan. Her name was Emma Swan. He pulled up Google and searched her address, feeling a little relieved when he found it wasn’t too far from the bus terminal he’d be arriving at on Sunday afternoon.

Tearing out a piece of paper from his notebook, he wrote down her name, her address, and the directions from the bus terminal to her apartment building. He pulled out his storybook and placed the folded piece of paper with his bus ticket, barely managing to get it back under his bed and hidden before his mother knocked on the door once and entered.

“Don’t forget you need to shower before bed tonight,” Regina said and Henry just nodded as he sat down on the edge of his bed with a comic book in his hand. “And please don’t stay up too late reading tonight. You have school in the morning.”

“I know, Mom.”

“Are you feeling all right, dear?” Regina asked and Henry nodded quickly before she could approach him. “Are you sure? You’ve barely touched your food.”

“I’m sure. I just wasn’t that hungry, that’s all,” he said quietly and he shrugged. “But thanks for getting take-out tonight, Mom.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled tightly. “I’ll be sure to pack some leftovers for your lunch tomorrow.”

“It’s Friday, Mom. I always buy lunch in the cafeteria on Friday’s, remember?” He reminded her and he frowned since he’d spent all of his allowance money on the bus ticket. “Can I have a little advance on my allowance this week, Mom?”

“I don’t know, did you do all of your chores?”

“Most of them,” he replied quickly. “I promise, I’ll finish the rest on Sunday.”

“I suppose so,” Regina said and she backed up to the door. “Remember to shower and brush your teeth before bed, Henry. Do you have any homework?”

“Nope, no homework tonight, Mom.”

“Good. I’ll see you in the morning, dear. Good night.”

“Yeah,” Henry nodded. “Good night.”

It wasn’t long after she’d left that he could hear her and the sheriff down in the study talking and laughing. He waited for another hour before he grabbed his backpack, shoving his book back inside along with some snacks he kept stashed in his desk drawer. He couldn’t stand listening to his mother and the sheriff downstairs laughing and talking for much longer. Something about it just made him feel weird.

It made him feel like they were plotting something, something devious and evil. He grabbed his scarf and slipped on his shoes before he opened his bedroom door. He’d snuck out before when his mother had still been home and from the sounds of things in the study, she was too preoccupied to even notice anything outside the closed door.

It was almost too easy getting out of the house without being caught. He decided to leave his bike where it was and started to walk down the quiet, empty street quickly. He held his breath it seemed until he reached the end of the street and he felt a wave of relief when he turned back to find that he hadn’t been followed.

He turned and started to walk down the street and stopped when he saw the cruiser turn the corner and pull over to the side of the road just a few feet ahead of him.

“Henry?” Beth called out as she got out of the cruiser.

“Hi, Beth.”

“What are you doing out here?”

Henry shrugged and shoved his hands into the pocket of his sweater and shivered. He hadn’t grabbed his coat and now he was wishing he had. He shrugged again as Beth approached him and he looked up at her sheepishly.

“Does your mom know you’re out right now?”

“No.”

Beth sighed and slung an arm around his shoulders. “I should take you home, you know that, right?”

“Please don’t.”

“What’s going on?” Beth asked him. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

“It’s nothing, Beth,” Henry muttered and he moved to sit down on the curb. Beth sat next to him a second later. “I found my real mom.”

“Did you?”

“She’s in Boston,” he continued and he shivered slightly. “I bought a bus ticket to go find her.”

“You did?”

“Yeah,” he frowned. “The bus doesn’t leave until Sunday morning. You can’t tell my mom, Beth.”

“I won’t. You can trust me, Henry.”

Beth slung an arm around him again and gave him a little squeeze. He sighed and leaned into her and inhaled deeply before pulling a face. Beth smelled strangely just like his mother, although faint, he could smell the same perfume lingering on her clothes.

“What?”

Henry shook his head. He didn’t want to know why Beth smelled like his mother’s perfume, he didn’t even want to imagine why. “Nothing,” he muttered under his breath. “Maybe I should just go back home.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Beth smiled as she stood up. “Do you want me to walk with you?”

“You better not,” he said quickly. “But thanks.”

Henry tried his best to smile and put the deputy at ease. He sighed in relief when she just took his word and got back into her cruiser and he started to walk back home until she turned around and drove back the way she’d come. Once he was sure she was gone and out of sight, he made a detour between two houses that led to a field where he used to play when he was little.

Henry stopped in the middle of the field when he heard the wolf howl off in the distance, though it was much closer than he’d ever heard it before. Frozen in place, he waited until he didn’t hear it again and he took off running through the grassy field until he reached the harbor.

It was dark, but he knew his way around most of the town. He made his way down the sandy beach until the castle came into view. He’d run away there before at night, several times and he had learned after the second time that it got really cold at night when the wind came to shore off the cold water.

In the right turret, he’d stashed an old gray blanket and after struggling to climb up while shivering, he grabbed it and pulled it down, shaking it out before he wrapped it around his body and huddled in the corner that kept him out of sight from the dead end road.

He pulled out the folded piece of paper from inside his book and stared at the name of his birth mother. Emma Swan. Emma. _Emma!_

He flipped through the book, nearly ripping the pages until he landed on the illustration he’d been looking for, the image of Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter, the Savior. Sure enough he saw it and he couldn’t believe he hadn’t put two and two together before until now. The baby blanket had the name “Emma” embroidered on it, and Emma was the name of the Savior.

Could it be that his real mom was really the Savior? It was a stretch, but it was very possible she could be. If there was one thing he learned since he discovered the Evil Queen had adopted him and that he lived in a town filled with characters from the Enchanted Forest that had been cursed to that world, it was that there was no such thing as coincidences.

But there was such a thing as fate.

[X]

It was late by the time she got home and she managed to unlock the door while juggling a sleeping four-year-old in her arms. Once inside, she turned on the light in the kitchen and carried Riley into her small bedroom, sighing tiredly as she laid her down on the bed and pulled off her shoes and then her clothes to change her into her nightgown.

“Mommy?”

“Yeah, baby?” Emma asked as she pulled the pink nightgown over Riley’s head. “We’re home now.”

“Okay,” Riley said sleepily and she yawned as she fought to keep her eyes open. “Read me a story?”

“Miss Carla read you four stories already, remember?”

“But she doesn’t do the voices!”

“Riles, it’s late,” Emma sighed and she leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Go to sleep, baby girl. I’m off tomorrow and Saturday, we can do whatever you want to do.”

“We make pancakes?”

“Of course we can,” Emma smiled at her. “And we can go to the park if it is nice out and if it is not, we can go to the movies. What do you think?”

“We stay home?” Riley whispered.

“Whatever you want, Riles.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Emma pulled the sheets over her body and smiled as she leaned down to kiss her forehead. Riley giggled and she covered her entire face with kisses until Riley wrapped her arms around her neck and held her close.

“I love you, Mommy.”

“I love you too, baby girl,” Emma whispered and she placed one last kiss to her cheek before standing up. “Good night.”

“Night.”

Emma walked out of the room and left the door open just a crack before she walked to the bathroom, stripped out of her clothes along the way and ran the water in the shower. She spent nearly an hour under the hot spray of water trying to wash away the long day she’d just had and loosen her tight, sore muscles.

Her previous mark, Don Arthur, had been difficult, but she’d finally gotten him that afternoon. What had followed after she dragged his fat ass down to the nearest precinct was hours of paperwork and then a check from her boss which she couldn’t cash since she’d gotten to the bank just as it closed.

After her long shower, she pulled on a pair of boxers and an old white tank top. She pulled her wet hair up into a loose ponytail and checked on Riley before she went into the kitchen to grab a cold beer from the fridge and try to unwind from the long, tiring day she’d just had.

She grabbed her laptop off the coffee table and sat down on the leather couch that had been in the apartment when she and Riley moved in the week before. After checking some of her emails, she closed the lid and put the laptop back on the coffee table with a heavy sigh.

She saw a flash of light and walked over to the floor to ceiling windows in the corner of the living room. She looked out as she took a swig of her beer and watched the lightning skirt across the sky. She turned to look at Riley’s bedroom door when thunder rumbled loud enough to rattle the building and after a few minutes, she sighed in relief that Riley hadn’t woken up.

Emma headed to bed as soon as she finished her beer and checked in on Riley one more time. As much of an adjustment as it was for Riley to sleep in her own room and in her own bed, it was one for Emma as well. Once she was convinced Riley was sound asleep, she crawled into her own bed and pulled the pillow over her head to drown out the occasional rumble of thunder outside as the storm passed overhead.

That night she had the same dream she’d been having since she was old enough to remember anything. Though things were always muddled, she saw the purple smoke, the flashes of lightning, glimpses of people in what looked to be a castle, and then at the very same moment she was placed in what looked like a box or a similar object, she woke up.

It felt like she hadn’t slept more than five minutes, just like it always did whenever she had that dream. The early morning sunlight shone through the windows and she pulled the pillow back over her head and pressed down hard.

Her alarm blared twenty seconds later and she threw the pillow away before hitting the snooze. She counted backward from twenty and barely made it to fifteen before Riley bounced into the room and jumped onto the bed to wake her up with a flurry of kisses all over her face.

“Wake up, Mommy!” Riley laughed and Emma couldn’t help but laugh too as she tackled Riley and returned the flurry of kisses right back. “Mommy! Wake up!”

“It’s barely six in the morning,” Emma said and she leaned back to look at her daughter and shook her head. “What are you doing awake, Riles?”

“I had to potty.”

“Did you go?”

“Yes! Like a big girl! All by myself,” Riley beamed proudly with a wide, toothy grin that melted Emma’s heart every single time. “Pancakes now?”

“Now?” Emma groaned and she made a point in melodramatically looking over at the clock. “It’s too early!”

Riley shrieked as Emma started to tickle her and when Riley escaped, she was quick to follow, chasing her out of the bedroom and through the apartment until she scooped her up and swung her around, both of them laughing.

It was moments like that that had made all the hardships worth it. It didn’t matter if they were living in the Bug, in a rundown apartment, a motel, or where they were now, it was those moments she lived for and those moments that made absolutely everything worth it.

Together they made pancakes using the mix they’d made up two days before and put into an old ketchup bottle. Emma let Riley add as many chocolate chips to the pancakes as she wanted, even though some of them had a little too much. They ate at the island counter, Riley sitting on top and making a mess with the maple syrup while Emma snuck bites off of Riley’s plate and her own.

Emma cleaned up the mess in the kitchen while Riley watched TV. She looked around the apartment at some of the boxes she hadn’t unpacked yet, boxes she knew wouldn’t get unpacked because they never did no matter where they moved.

Even though she had the check that would make life comfortable and then some for them for the next three months, maybe longer if she made it stretch, it didn’t mean that they would finally be able to settle in fully. Emma needed to keep the jobs coming in, but she knew that there’d be periods where there wouldn’t be any jobs and the money would slowly dry up and she’d be right back to where she always was.

It was always emotional to think of those things, of how she was going to provide for Riley. It was easier when she had been on her own and the only one she had to look out for was herself. Riley was the only reason now. Riley was the only reason she did a lot of things.

“Mommy, why you crying?” Riley asked and Emma blinked, feeling the hot tears slide down her cheeks. She hadn’t even realized she’d been crying. “Mommy?”

“It’s okay, baby,” Emma said softly as she tossed the dishcloth into the sink and picked her up. “So, what do you want to do today?”

“Can we make a fort?”

“A fort?” Emma laughed and she shifted Riley to her hip and wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “You want to make a fort?”

“Yeah!”

“And where are we going to make this fort?”

“Right here!” Riley said excitedly as she pointed over to the couch in the living room. “Around TV. Like Miss Carla do with the big kids!”

“Really?” Emma laughed and shook her head. “Okay. And what are we going to use to make the fort, Riles?”

“Sheets! Sheets from beds! And—and lots of pillows!”

Emma smiled and snuggled Riley in close. “Okay, Riles, we can make a sheet fort in the living room around the TV. You’ll have to show me how because I don’t know the first thing to do.”

“Okay, Mommy. We need sheets first!”

Emma let her down on her feet and followed her into her bedroom. She watched Riley strip the sheets from her bed and run back out into the living room. She threw the sheets on the couch and then ran into Emma’s room to do the same thing. Emma just watched her as she ran back to get the pillows off both beds and then she stopped, smiling up at her and so very excited to get to build a fort in the living room, something they’d never done before together because Emma had rarely had any time to do anything like that with her in the past.

Riley’s excitement and endless energy gave Emma a spark that got her going. Together they made a fort in the living room around the TV and filled the inside with pillows from their beds and the ones off of the couch. Emma curled up on the pillows with Riley as the TV played a cartoon she wasn’t familiar with and it wasn’t long before her exhaustion kicked in and she was lulled into the land of sleep.

[X]

Regina paced nervously and worriedly in the foyer while the sheriff spoke with the deputy on the radio. She had panicked when she woke up and discovered that Henry was not in his bed or anywhere in the house. She hadn’t checked in on him before heading to bed as she normally did and she felt solely responsible for the fact that he had clearly run away.

“Copy that,” Graham said into the radio. “Deputy Crane said she’ll do a sweep around town. We’ll find him, Regina.”

“Where could he be?” Regina asked tearfully. “You don’t think that he left town, do you?”

“Where would he go?”

“I don’t know!”

“Look, why don’t you go and get some coffee, okay?” Graham said gently. “We’ll go and have a cup of coffee and let the deputy do her job and find him.”

“What about you?” Regina snapped. “I don’t need you here, I need you out there looking for my son!”

“Regina—”

“No, Sheriff Graham,” she said with a low growl, her patience being tested to the max. “I need you out there looking for my son, not here. You can’t do anything here.”

“I am here to keep you calm,” he said softly and he reached out for her hand. “Let’s go into the kitchen and have a cup of coffee, Regina. Deputy Crane will call on the radio every five minutes with an update.”

Regina scowled and pulled her hand away from him before she turned on her heels and stalked into the kitchen. The pot of coffee had already been brewed just before she’d discovered that Henry was missing. She grabbed two mugs and poured the coffee in while the sheriff got the creamer out of the refrigerator.

“Do you know of any reason why he would run away?”

“If I did, don’t you think I would’ve tried to stop him?” Regina snapped and the sheriff frowned. “I’m sorry. This is just unlike him. He’s never run away for this long before. I should’ve checked on him last night!”

“There’s no way you could’ve known, Regina,” he said and he sighed as he picked up his mug and blew at the hot liquid inside. “Deputy Crane will bring him home, Regina.”

Regina’s hands were shaking as she picked up her mug. When the radio squawked, she held her breath as the sheriff answered and she heard the deputy speaking.

“I’ve located the Mills’ boy,” Deputy Crane said over the radio. “He’s tired and a little cold and hungry, but he’s fine. I’m on my way. Over.”

“Excellent. See you soon, Deputy. Over,” he said and he turned to Regina with a smile. “See? He’s safe. She found him. He’s—”

“Thank you, Sheriff. I heard. Don’t let me keep you. Your deputy is bringing him home and I am sure you have other matters to attend to this morning.”

“I can stay until she—”

“There is no need,” Regina cut him off, trying to stay calm and not raise her voice. She didn’t want him there when the deputy returned with her son. “Let me put that coffee in a travel mug so you can return to your duties, Sheriff.”

She sent the sheriff off not even five minutes later and she resumed her pacing in the foyer as she waited for the deputy to return with her son. It was nearly ten minutes after the sheriff had left when she saw the deputy’s cruiser pull up out front. She flung open the door as the deputy and her son walked up the front walkway.

“Henry,” Regina said as he approached her. “What were you thinking? Where have you been all night?”

“Mom—”

“Get inside,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’ll speak with you after I thank Deputy Crane for finding you safe and sound,” she said and she pointed to the open door. “Go inside. Now, Henry.”

He huffed as he walked past her and inside where he dropped the gray blanket he had wrapped around him on the floor and ran up the stairs into his room. A few seconds later she heard and felt him slam his door shut.

“I found him at the park by the harbor,” the deputy said and Regina motioned for her to follow her inside. “He said he spent the night out there, but he wouldn’t tell me why.”

“He spent the night outside?” Regina was appalled. “He doesn’t even have a jacket on!”

“Regina—”

“What if someone else had found him before you? They would think I am completely incompetent and unfit to be his mother.”

“Regina, he’s fine. I found him, nobody else did,” Elizabeth said gently, her calm demeanor too much like Graham’s that it made Regina uneasy. “He’s fine. He’s home. He’s a little cold and hungry, that’s all.”

Regina shook her head and led the way into the kitchen. She was furious, but she knew she should’ve expected Henry to run away, especially after finding out from the deputy that he was in pursuit of finding his birth mother.

“Regina,” Elizabeth said quietly as she walked up behind her and placed a hand on the small of her back. “You know this was inevitable, right? I mean he told me he found her.”

“He found her?” Regina turned to stare at her with wide eyes. “He found her and you’re only telling me this now?”

“Regina—”

“When did you find out?”

“He told me. Last night.”

“Last night?!” Regina asked, her voice raising a few octaves. “You saw him last night and you let him stay out all night and have me worried that something may have happened to him?”

“Regina, he said he was going back home. I ran into him on the street just before eight and told him to go home. As far as I knew, he was going home.”

“What is wrong with you?” Regina snarled. “A ten year old boy was out on the streets alone and you let him walk home by himself? You took his word that he was going to go home after you told him to and you just let him go?”

“Regina, it was an honest mistake,” Elizabeth said and she pleaded her with her sea-green eyes, a look that always made Regina soften no matter what else was going on. “He told me something else too, something I know I should’ve told you about last night. He not only found his birth mother, but he told me he bought a bus ticket to Boston so he could go and see her.”

“What?”

“Regina—”

“He—he bought a bus ticket to Boston? When?”

“I don’t know, but he said it leaves on Sunday.”

“Like hell it does!”

“Regina,” Elizabeth said and she ran her hand over her back soothingly. “You said yourself that you would handle this when I told you that he wanted to borrow my credit card so that he could find her. What are you going to do about this? You said you could handle this, right?”

Regina was fuming but she knew that keeping Henry from going to Boston would further strain their relationship. If she told Henry that she knew, he would never trust anyone, not Deputy Crane and definitely not anyone else ever again.

Regina rubbed the back of her neck and stepped away from Elizabeth. As much as she loved being touched by her, she didn’t want to be, especially not with Henry home and it being so early in the morning. She shook her head as she stared at Elizabeth and shook her head once more.

“Do you think I should allow him to run away from home again, to get onto a bus that’ll take him to Boston to find his birth mother?” Regina asked. “It’s not preposterous, is it?”

“As an officer of the law, I’d have to say it isn’t the best idea nor the safest, but Henry does what he wants to do and when he sets his mind to something, he does it no matter what. Reminds you of someone, doesn’t it?”

Regina laughed a little. No matter how angry and worked up she got at times, Elizabeth had proven time and time again that she could always pull her up from that dark place she went to more often than not. But she didn’t love Elizabeth Crane, she could _never_ love Elizabeth Crane, not after what they’d been to one another for years. She could never love anyone again, she knew that deep in her heart. Nobody would ever take Daniel’s place.

Not Elizabeth. Not anyone else. Not even Henry had stolen her whole heart the way that Daniel had once, long ago. It wasn’t just Daniel that prevented her from ever falling in love with Elizabeth. It was the very fact that underneath the façade that the deputy put on when they were together, she knew she was in love with someone else, with the sheriff.

She knew, but she had never said a word to either of them. She knew all that time that there was something more and she was just biding her time to use that information when it suited her best. She turned to the woman who pretended to care so much and smiled.

“Thank you for finding Henry, Miss Crane. I do appreciate that you brought him home.”

“Of course, Regina.”

Regina glanced at the kitchen door before she walked up to the young blonde deputy and backed her up against the island counter top. “You said he’s leaving Sunday morning?”

“That’s what he told me.”

“Then I will expect you here Sunday morning, Deputy.”

“Yes, ma’am. Anything else?”

“I need you find out what Henry knows about his birth mother,” Regina said lowly. “Everything you can find out. I have a file hidden in my office, but the information is ten years old. It should give you more than enough information to find this woman and find out everything you can about her.”

The deputy nodded her head and licked her lips salaciously; a move that always pushed Regina’s buttons and turned her on beyond belief. Throwing caution to the wind, Regina pulled the deputy in for a deep kiss, one that didn’t last longer than a handful of seconds before she stepped back and grinned at the flushed woman in front of her.

“Thank you. You may leave,” Regina said and she turned to walk out of the kitchen without another word and without looking back at the deputy who was busy trying to compose herself.

Things were changing far too quickly and Regina had a sinking feeling that the changes that were coming were not ones that would be a welcome one.

“Henry?” She called out up the stairs. “Henry, are you ready for school?”

“No!”

“Hurry up, dear,” she said and she turned to look at the deputy as she headed for the front door. Neither said a word as the deputy left and Regina headed up the stairs. “Henry?”

She frowned as she stared at her son as he stood in his room and pulled a clean sweater on. “I know you don’t want to speak about what happened, and I’ll let it go. For now. You need to get to school. You’ve already missed some of the morning and it is not acceptable—”

“I know, Mom. I’m ready. See?”

Regina frowned and nodded her approval of his appearance despite his school uniform looking a little wrinkly and his hair a bit disheveled. He pushed past her and ran down the stairs and she frowned as she walked over to his bed and smoothed out the sheets and the pillow.

Regina spent a moment just staring at her son’s bedroom and tried to remember the better times, back before Henry had got it into his head that she was the Evil Queen. She wanted nothing more than to take those thoughts out of his head, but she wouldn’t dare use a memory potion on her son, not when magic itself was entirely unstable in this world.

She knew she had to let him do what he felt he needed to do, but she also knew that nothing good was going to come of it either. The last thing she wanted and needed was for his son’s birth mother to become a part of their lives whether she wanted to or not. Saying no to a boy like Henry had proven impossible over the years.

She just had to hope that his birth mother did not want anything to do with him, just as she had all those years ago when she had given him up. Yet, that same sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that was highly unlikely. She was going to lose her son no matter what happened next.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've borrowed some dialogue from the show for this chapter, you'll know it when you see it! Don't forget to drop me a line and let me know what you think so far! I can safely say that this story will be well over 100K...

Regina knew it was coming. She had thought she had prepared herself in the days leading up to Henry running away from home—again—but when she woke up on Sunday morning, early, she found his bed empty, and his backpack along with a few clothes gone.

The sheer panic that ran through her body was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. She called the deputy just before six o’clock and demanded that she come to the house as soon as possible.

She didn’t bother to get dressed, something that wasn’t normal for her since she took pride in her appearance and never allowed anyone to see her dressed down aside from her own son. She was pacing in the kitchen when the deputy showed up almost forty minutes after she’d called her.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“As I told you on the phone, Regina, I had to shower before I came over.”

“Do you always waste time to have a shower when you get an emergency call, Deputy?”

“This is not—” Elizabeth stopped short and frowned. “I’m sorry, Regina. We knew he was going to Boston this morning. I thought you were going to allow him to follow through on this?”

“Just because I am allowing it to happen doesn’t mean that I am okay with this at all,” Regina sighed. “What have you found out about this woman he’s going to find?”

The deputy just nodded as she reached into the brown messenger bag she had on and pulled out a folder. “Not too much,” she said and she handed it to Regina. “The woman moves around a lot, keeps a low profile. I’m pretty sure the only reason Henry found her was because she just moved into a new place that required more information than the last place she lived in.”

Regina flipped through the three pages of printouts that the deputy had inside the folder and frowned. “Is this all?”

“There is nothing else. I’m not a private investigator, Regina, and the system we are using at the station isn’t advanced enough for me to find out more. I ran her name through the database and this is what I found.”

Regina went back to the first page and gasped as she read the name of Henry’s birth mother. She’d known many years ago her name, but at the time she hadn’t cared for the woman who had willingly gave her own child up for adoption at birth.

“Emma Swan,” Regina murmured under her breath.

“Do you know her?”

“No,” Regina said tightly. “No, I don’t know her. It was a closed adoption.”

“She has a file in the system from when she was growing up in foster care. There was more information about her before she was seventeen than there has been in the last ten years.”

“I don’t care about before. I care about right now. I want to know what my son is walking into.”

“Regina, there isn’t much on her at all, aside from a few old addresses and information on her car insurance she’s been behind on paying quite a few times.”

“Is there not even a picture?”

The deputy shook her head. “As I said, our system isn’t advanced enough and I don’t have the clearance to get that much information. What I got for you was all I could find.”

Regina placed the folder on the counter and shook her head. Even she didn’t know much about Henry’s birth mother when she first adopted him. The social worker in charge of the case didn’t indulge her with much information aside from the fact the woman was barely eighteen and in prison. He had provided her with the woman’s name at the time, but then it didn’t matter to her because she never imagined that one day her son would want to find his birth mother. She thought she’d always be enough for him and things clearly didn’t turn out that way at all.

Regina rubbed the back of her neck and she tensed when she felt her hands being pushed aside and the soft, warm ones slide over her neck and shoulders. She was tense enough to begin with and normally being touched in such an intimate way, especially by the woman who had been her lover for many years, made her feel at ease, but it only made her anger bubble to the surface and she struggled to keep it at bay.

“Get your hands off of me,” Regina snarled. “I am not in the mood to be touched right now.”

“You’re tense,” Elizabeth whispered into her ear and she continued to rub over her shoulders and the back of her neck.

“Of course I am tense! My son is on a bus to Boston right now and—”

Her breath hitched as the deputy kissed the back of her neck and let her lips linger. She closed her eyes when she felt hands tug at the belt on her gray robe and then shivered as she felt those same hands glide over her stomach and under the hem of her silk pajama top.

“You wanted me here to help you take your mind off of everything, didn’t you, my Queen?”

“Ye—yes.”

“Then let me help you do just that,” Elizabeth murmured softly and she moved to kiss along Regina’s neck just below her ear. “That is what I am here for. To take your mind off of everything. To make you feel the way that I make you feel.”

“And how do you believe you make me feel?”

Elizabeth chuckled lowly. “You know exactly how I make you feel, my Queen.”

When she had first taken the young woman as her lover, it was because she had control and dominance over her. It was different now and she hated that it was. It wasn’t a relationship. It definitely wasn’t love. She didn’t love Elizabeth Crane and Elizabeth most definitely didn’t love her. What she did love was the exhilarating high she got whenever they were intimate, whether she initiated it or Elizabeth did.

Though it was not at all lost on her that more so lately it felt routine and that when Elizabeth initiated things between them, it felt robotic and at times, forced. She still allowed it to happen, still allowed those few moments when Elizabeth felt as if she were in control. It never lasted for long because that rage that bubbled deep within always surfaced quickly.

But she was not in the mood or in the right frame of mind to allow the deputy to have her way. She turned and pushed her away with a scowl.

“Not now.”

“Isn’t that why you wanted me here?”

Regina pressed her lips together tightly. It was, originally, but now that the moment had come, the last thing she wanted was to turn to satisfying her own sexual urges when her son was gone. She ignored the perplexed look on the deputy’s face as she grabbed the cordless phone before she walked out of the kitchen.

She couldn’t leave Storybrooke, well she _could_ but she didn’t want to go running after Henry. It would make everything so much worse. The only way she would get her son back was to let him come back to her. She paced in the dining room as she stared down at the phone and growled in frustration. Nobody else could leave town since the curse itself prevented that. She couldn’t send the deputy, the sheriff, or even the damn bug she sent Henry to for therapy sessions to go after him and bring him home because they would not make it past the town line.

“Regina?”

“What?”

“What are you going to do?” Elizabeth asked tentatively as she leaned against the door frame. “Are you going to just let him go all the way to Boston on his own?”

“That is exactly what I am going to do.”

“But aren’t you worried he may not come back?”

“Trust me, Miss Crane, he will come back. One way or another he’ll come home.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Regina inhaled deeply as she stared at the clueless woman in front of her. “This woman, Emma Swan, she gave him up. She didn’t _want_ him. What makes you think she’ll want him now, hmm?”

“I suppose you’re right,” Elizabeth said after a moment and she stayed where she was and crossed her arms over her chest with a tired sigh. “What do you want me to do?”

“I need you to be here with me,” Regina replied. “Not like _that_ ,” she added. “I need you to stay until Henry returns.”

“I can do that, my Queen. I’ll stay as long as it takes for Henry to return home. I’ll do anything you ask of me.”

For all of her adult life, including her time with the curse, Regina was used to people willingly following her orders and being at her beck and call with no questions asked. It was what was expected of peasants and those lower than her status as a queen, but it felt different now. It’d felt different for quite some time and she didn’t know why. With a deep frown, she turned and headed for the stairs, leaving the deputy standing in the dining room awaiting her next order.

She headed for the bathroom and ran the water in the deep tub. A nice long and hot bath was just what she needed, but it wouldn’t take her mind off of anything.

Life had been so much easier when Henry still loved her and saw her as the only mother in his life. It would never go back to the way it had been, but Regina was more than determined to find a way to win her son back and she would do whatever it took to do just that.

[X]

Emma listened to Riley’s laughter coming from the living room as she stood in the bathroom in front of the mirror and carefully applied her makeup. She had a date, but it wasn’t exactly a date per se. It was a job and the man she was meeting with believed it to be a date. She’d spent a few hours on Saturday night tracking him down online, finding an online profile and decided to take the chance he’d want to meet up with her for dinner the next night.

It was a tactic that had worked for her before a few times. It put her in a setting with her mark that would be easy to serve them papers or apprehend them, depending on the work order her boss had given to her. It was misleading and it was perfect, which is why she was quickly becoming known as one of the best bail-bondsperson in the state.

Normally she didn’t like to work on a Sunday, but it was one of the better days to finish off a job as nobody expected to be served with a court order or be apprehended on a Sunday of all days. She finished off her eyeliner and reached for the mascara just as Riley came running into the bathroom and wrapped her arms around her legs.

“Mommy!” Riley laughed. “Jessie is a monster! She gonna eat my face off!”

Emma laughed as she scooped Riley up into her arms. “Is she really?” She chuckled. “We can’t have that, can we?”

“No!”

“But guess what, Riles?” Emma asked as she lowered her voice and leaned in to kiss her forehead and then her cheeks rapidly. “I’m gonna eat your face off too!”

“Mommy!” Riley squirmed in her arms as Emma playfully pretended to bite her cheeks before letting Riley back down on her feet. “No! Jessie! Save me!”

Emma shook her head and laughed as Riley ran off to the living room where the babysitter was waiting. Early that morning she’d ran into her neighbor and with her luck, since Miss Carla was out of town visiting her son and grandchildren for the afternoon, her neighbor offered her seventeen-year old daughter Jessie to baby sit Riley for a few hours that evening.

Emma normally didn’t trust just anyone to watch her daughter. Riley was a handful most of the time and didn’t listen to anyone else but her own mother and Miss Carla. But Emma was in a tight spot and she couldn’t show up at the restaurant for her “date” with a four-year-old.

Jessie had come over nearly an hour ago and Emma had watched the two of them for a little while to make sure that she wouldn’t have to worry while she was gone. Riley took a strong liking to the young girl almost right away and the two seemed to get along just fine. Emma had asked Jessie a hundred different questions about her experience with children and different scenarios and Jessie’s responses had been adequate and unnerving.

Emma quickly finished up with her makeup, which took a little bit of time since she very rarely wore makeup at all. After checking her hair in the mirror, she walked out of the bathroom and slipped on the high heels.

“Well, what do you think, Riles?” Emma asked as she walked into the living room. “Do I look okay?”

“You look very pretty, Mommy,” Riley smiled from where she and Jessie were sitting on the couch. “You have to go now?”

“Yeah, I have to go now,” Emma nodded. “I’ll be home in a few hours, okay? Hopefully sooner. You be good for Jessie while I’m gone, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

“I’ll call to let you know when I’m on my way back,” Emma said to Jessie and the young girl just nodded her head and pushed her round glasses up her nose. “If you run into any problems with Riley, don’t hesitate to call me.”

“My mom said if there are any problems that she’d come over and help too.”

“All right. I left some money for pizza just in case. Riley can have two slices. That’s it, but I should be home before then so you won’t have to worry about feeding her.”

Jessie nodded. “Okay, Emma. Don’t worry, Riley and I are going to have lots of fun, aren’t we?”

“The most fun!” Riley exclaimed happily. “More fun than with Miss Carla.”

“But not too much fun,” Emma smiled and she walked over to drop a kiss on the top of Riley’s head. “I’ll see you later, Riles, and remember, be on your best behavior okay?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Emma grabbed her red purse that matched her red dress and after she found her keys, she left. It was always hard leaving her daughter with someone new, but she’d gotten nothing but good vibes from the teenager over the last hour she’d been there playing with Riley. She had to wipe all the worry and anxiety she had over leaving her daughter with someone she barely knew because she had a job to do.

And it was her birthday. She didn’t want to spend her birthday having dinner with a mark when she could be spending it with her daughter at home.

The drive to the restaurant took longer than she originally anticipated, but it gave her time to talk herself into the persona she’d given when she’d first talked to the man online the night before. It had also given her time to take her mind off of Riley and of all the things that could possibly go wrong with the new babysitter.

She was still at the restaurant early with five minutes to spare. She was seated on a balcony that overlooked the sunken seating area and she ordered a glass of red wine to sip on while she waited for her “date” to arrive.

From the moment she saw the man in the black suit arrive, she had a bad feeling things weren’t going to go as she had originally planned. They very rarely ever did, but it did nothing to kill the confidence she had walking in. She sipped her wine and smiled as the hostess escorted the man to the table and he sat down with a smile on his face.

“Emma?” He asked questioningly.

“Ryan?” She said as she stood up from the chair and shook his hand. She laughed lightly. “You look relieved.”

“Uh, well, it _is_ the Internet,” he chuckled as he pushed her chair in. “Pictures can be fake, outdated—”

“Stolen from a Victoria’s Secret catalog,” she finished and he chuckled again.

“Exactly.”

“So…”

“So…um, tell me something about yourself, Emma.”

Emma tried not to cringe. The guy really was trying and trying a little too hard. “Oh uh, well, today’s my birthday.”

“And you’re spending it with me?” He asked and she just forced a half-smile. “What about your friends?”

“Kind of a loner,” Emma replied with her go-to answer she normally used when prompted with that question.

“What about family?”

“No family to like.”

“Oh, come on, everyone has a family.”

Emma shook her head. The last thing she was going to do was talk about her daughter with a mark. “Technically, yeah, but not everyone knows who they are.” She paused to try to garner his reaction, which was stoic at best. “Ready to run yet?”

Ryan chuckled. “Oh, not a chance. You, Emma, are, by far the sexiest friendless orphan I have ever met.”

Trying not to cringe, she forced a laugh. It was beyond time to wrap things up and she couldn’t stand spending more than a few minutes longer with the man without wanting to punch him in the face.

“Okay, your turn. No, wait, let me guess. Uh, you are handsome, charming, the kind of guy who—and now stop me if I get this wrong—embezzled from your employer, got arrested and skipped town before they were able to throw your ass in jail.”

He laughed nervously. “What?”

“And the worst part of all of this is your wife. Your wife loves you so much she bailed you out, and how do you repay that loyalty? You’re on a date.”

“Who are you?”

“The chick who put up the rest of the money.”

“You’re a bail bondsman.”

“A bail bondsperson,” she corrected him.

He chuckled incredulously before flipping the table on her and started to run. She laughed and walked out of the restaurant after him, knowing he wouldn’t get very far. Her boss was usually one step ahead of the game, and if she’d timed it right, he would have a boot on his expensive car and wouldn’t get very far.

She walked across the busy street as he tried to get away in his car. She smirked because it felt too easy, easier than most of her marks.

“Look, you don’t have to do this, okay? I can pay you. I’ve got money.”

“No, you don’t, and if you did, you should give it to your wife to take care of your family.”

“What the hell do you know about family, huh?”

A surge of white-hot anger ran through her at those words and she slammed his head into the steering wheel. “More than you do, asshole.”

After serving him his papers and calling the local police department to come pick him up, she waited for them to show up, making sure he didn’t try to get away. Within minutes a cruiser pulled up behind his car and after she gave her information to the officer, he had her sign some forms before he took her mark away to jail where he belonged.

She walked away to where she’d parked her car and got in. She drove across the city and stopped to buy herself a cupcake, a tradition she’d had on her birthday for as long as she could remember. She bought a second one for Riley to have so she wouldn’t feel left out and she headed home, pleased with herself things had gone much better than she had thought they would.

“Hey, I’m home!” Emma called out as she let herself in the apartment. She smiled and put the box with the two cupcakes on the counter and followed the sound of giggling into Riley’s bedroom. “Hey, am I interrupting anything fun?”

“No,” Jessie said as Riley held her down on the bed and tickled her mercilessly. “Just in the middle of a tickle war.”

“I can see that,” Emma chuckled. “Riles, why don’t you let Jessie up so she can go home?”

“But I’m winning, Mommy!”

“Riley.”

“Fine,” Riley pouted and she jumped off the bed and into Emma’s arms. “Did you bring a cupcake?”

“One for me and one for you, baby girl.”

“Yay!”

Emma walked the babysitter to the door and paid her for her time. The teenager just smiled and walked down the hall as she pocketed the cash Emma had given her.

“Cupcake time!” Riley said excitedly and Emma kicked off her heels and chased her into the kitchen. “Did you get a candle, Mommy?”

“I have one in the junk drawer, leftover from your birthday, Riles.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Can I have one too?”

“But it isn’t your birthday.”

“I know, silly!” Riley giggled. “I want to help make a wish too, Mommy.”

“What are we going to wish for?”

Riley thought long and hard while Emma found two candles and placed them into the cupcakes. She dimmed the lights, lit the candles, and watched as Riley perked right up.

“I know, Mommy!”

“What, baby girl?”

“Family.”

“But we have family,” Emma said with a slight frown. “We have each other.”

“I know, Mommy.”

“Who else do we need other than each other?” Emma asked and she frowned even deeper when she saw the pout on Riley’s face. “Did Jessie say something to you?”

“No.”

“Riley.”

“She asked if I have a grandma,” Riley whispered and Emma sighed. “Do I have a grandma, Mommy?”

“Maybe,” Emma whispered back. “I don’t know, Riles.”

“Why not?”

“Because I never had a family until I had you,” Emma replied, her voice wavering with emotion. “You’re all the family I’ll ever need, Riles.”

“But—”

“Let’s make a different wish, okay?”

“Why?”

“Because,” she sighed, hating to finish that with “I said so, that’s why”. It was a statement she’d hated growing up and one she tried not to use with Riley at all. “How about we wish for something fun?”

“Like the zoo?”

“You want to go to the zoo?”

“Yeah!”

Emma laughed and ruffled Riley’s hair before lifting her up to the counter. “We better make a wish before the candles burn out. On three?”

“That’s not how it goes, Mommy! We have to sing!”

“We have to?”

“Yes! It’s your birthday! We have to sing so your wish will come true!”

“Well, we better hurry up!”

Emma held Riley on her hip and listened to her as she sang to her. Emma had no idea what she wanted to wish for, but for a four-year old, a wish was as simple as wishing for a day at the zoo or even the park. There were a lot of things she had wished for over the years, wishes that had never come true. She’d even wished for family many times, and in turn, she’d gotten one with Riley.

It wasn’t much, but it was more than she had ever had. Her daughter was absolutely everything to her. As Riley sang the last few bars of the song, she dropped a kiss to her forehead and then her cheeks before she turned to the cupcakes on the counter and the candles that had burned nearly all the way down.

“Okay, ready?”

“Yeah!”

“Let’s make a wish. Together, okay?”

Emma closed her eyes. She didn’t have to think about the wish she was about to make because it was always the same, with or without Riley in her life. All she wanted was a sense of belonging, and to find her place in the world, whatever that meant in the end.

[X]

Henry squirmed in the seat of the cab as the driver honked the horn. They’d been stuck in traffic for almost half an hour and he was growing impatient. The bus had broken down halfway to Boston and they’d spent three hours at a gas station before another bus came to pick up all the passengers and take them the rest of the way.

“Excuse me?” Henry said as he leaned forward. “How much further are we from the address I gave you?”

“About two blocks,” the driver tiredly replied as he looked in the rearview mirror. “You want to walk, kid? The streets aren’t too safe and it’s getting dark.”

“I can take care of myself, thanks.”

“Right,” he said and he turned to look back at him. “You sure about that, kid? It isn’t the best neighborhood to be walking around all by yourself.”

“Like I said,” Henry said slowly. “I can take care of myself. Thanks for the ride, sir.”

Henry waited for the driver to pull the cab over to the curb and he hopped out. He frowned and turned back to the driver. The man just sighed and pointed to the corner just up ahead.

“Take a left up there, kid. It’ll take you where you’re going,” he said. “Be safe, you hear?”

“Thanks.”

Henry walked quickly down the street and pulled at the zipper on his jacket. He unzipped it and continued down the street until he turned the corner. He checked the paper with the address on it and continued down the street until he found the right building. With a frown, he walked up to the intercom just outside the door and pressed a button.

Nothing happened. He tried the door, but it was locked. He frowned again and pressed the same button with the same result. With a furrowed brow, he stepped back and looked up at the building, wondering if it was the right place since it looked dark and deserted almost.

“Hey, kid!” A boy not too much older than fifteen called out from across the street. “What you doing?”

“I’m looking for my mom’s place,” he said without skipping a beat. “The buzzer isn’t working.”

“Hasn’t worked in forever,” the boy replied as he quickly crossed the street. “You been here before?”

“No.”

“Wouldn’t want to if I were you either,” he laughed and gave him a little shove out of the way and reached for the handle on the door.

“It’s locked.”

“Not unless you know how to open it,” the boy replied and with a few awkward tugs, the door flung open. “There you go, kid.”

“Thanks.”

Henry walked into the building and once he found the elevators were out of service, he began the long trek up five flights of stairs. He was sweating by the time he reached the floor and he headed down to the last door. He took a few deep breaths, mostly to catch his breath and mostly to calm his nerves, and then he knocked three times quickly.

He looked down the hallway at the garbage that littered the floor and the questionable stains and smells. He knocked two more times before he heard the door unlock and an elderly woman opened the door.

“Yes?” She asked. “Can I help you?”

“Hi,” Henry squeaked out. “I’m looking for Emma Swan? Does she live here?”

The woman shook her head no and laughed. “Heavens no, she doesn’t live here,” she said. “Who are you?”

“I’m Henry. Her son.”

The woman narrowed her eyes as she looked down at him and shook her head. “Her son, hmm?” She asked and he nodded. “Why don’t you step inside, dear. I have Emma’s new address written down somewhere.”

“Okay,” Henry said and he followed the woman inside the apartment and he was greeted by the most amazing smell of fresh bread. His stomach grumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten anything but the candy bars he’d bought at the bus station when the bus finally made it to the city.

“You said you are her son?” The woman asked as she walked into the kitchen and Henry was about to follow her when she turned around and pointed at his boots. “Off.”

“Sorry.”

Henry toed off his boots and followed the old woman into the kitchen. She walked over to the fridge and without asking him, she pulled out a juice box, apple, and handed it to him.

“Why are you coming around here looking for Emma?”

“It’s the only address I have for her.”

“She’s never lived here, dear.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry,” the woman chuckled. “She wouldn’t move without letting Miss Carla know where she’s going off to next.”

Henry watched her as he sipped his juice as she pulled a few pieces of paper off the refrigerator. After she read over each one carefully, she turned to him with a smile.

“Does she know you’re coming to visit?”

“No,” he said softly. “I don’t even know if she remembers me. I—I just wanted to meet her because she’s my real mom.”

“I’m sure she remembers you. I just find it odd she’s never mentioned you.”

“She put me up for adoption when I was born.”

“I see,” she replied and she wrote down the address on the back of an old receipt she found on the counter. “Here you go, dear. It’s quite a walk. Would you like me to call her?”

“No, no it’s okay. I thought I’d surprise her. How far is it, anyway?”

“To walk?” Miss Carla asked and she scratched at her head. “Honestly I have no idea. I barely leave the house as it is. Bad neighborhood and all. She did tell me it took about twenty minutes to drive there. Better neighborhood of course. More expensive and safer.”

“That’s good. How do I get there?”

“Do you know what bus to take?”

“No,” Henry frowned. “I took a cab here from the bus station.”

“I see,” the woman frowned right back. “Do you have money for another cab, dear?”

“Yes.”

“Shall I call one for you?”

“That would be great, thanks,” Henry replied and his stomach growled embarrassingly loudly. “Sorry.”

“Are you hungry?”

“A little bit.”

“Sit,” she said as she pointed to the table. “I will make you a sandwich. Cooked a fresh loaf earlier. Still warm. Do you like ham, Henry?”

“Oh boy, do I ever!”

A half an hour later and two ham sandwiches on warm, fresh bread, Henry was getting into a cab that would take him downtown to the address the old woman had given him. His tummy was full but it didn’t help the fluttering nerves that were building the closer the driver got to the right address.

The building the driver pulled up in front of was much nicer than the last one. After Henry thanked the driver, he headed up to the front entrance. He didn’t see “Swan” listed on the intercom and Miss Carla hadn’t given him the buzzer number.

It was just by luck that a man walking his tiny dog exited the building and held the door for him, giving him a small and curt nod as Henry slipped past into the lobby.

The difference was drastic. It was clean and polished, much like his home back in Storybrooke, but not as fancy. And the elevators worked too, one thing he was relieved about when he hit the button and the doors slid open a few seconds later. The nerves continued to build as the elevator climbed up each flight and when it came to a slow stop, he almost hit the button to go back down to the lobby.

“No,” he said under his breath. “You’ve come all this way. You can’t chicken out now.”

He stepped out of the elevator and took a few deep breaths before making his way down the narrow hall. He stopped at the door, checking the address once again before he raised a hand and knocked three times quickly.

It felt like an eternity before he heard the chain and then the lock clicking before the door was pulled open. In front of him stood a woman in a red dress with long blonde hair and she looked ahead before looking down at him with a confused look on her face.

Henry gasped. The woman who answered the door looked exactly like Beth. Yet, he knew it wasn’t Beth. Beth was back in Storybrooke, not to mention the fact that her hair wasn’t as long or as curly, and she never wore makeup, not like the woman in front of him did.

“Uh, can I help you?”

“Are you Emma Swan?”

“Yeah. Who are you?”

“My name’s Henry. I’m your son.”

Emma Swan stared down at him with a slight frown. It wasn’t the reaction he’d imagined—and he’d imagined that first time he met his real mom to go a hundred different ways. He wasn’t sure what else to do, what to say. The woman in front of him was a mirror image of Beth, someone he knew and trusted even. This woman was not Beth. The wheels in his head were turning and none of it made any sense.

“Kid? Hey, kid?”

Henry shook his head as his eyes filled with burning hot tears. He wanted to turn and run, but he also wanted to push past her and walk in her apartment and say all the things he had planned to say to her, the speech he had rehearsed on the long bus ride down to the city.

“Hey, I don’t have a son,” Emma said softly, but Henry could see past her lie. “Kid? Where are your parents?”

“I don’t have parents. I have a mom.”

“Then she’s probably worried sick about you.”

“I doubt it.”

Emma sighed as she held the door open and placed her other hand on the frame. “Look—”

“Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption?” He asked confidently and he blinked through the tears that threatened to fall. Emma looked at him with wide eyes, but she said nothing. “That was me.”

“Give me a minute.”

Henry frowned as she backed away from the door, but she didn’t shut it in his face as he’d expected. She motioned for him to wait right where he was and he watched her walk backward for a few steps before she turned and disappeared around the corner.

Despite his nerves and being instructed to stay right where he was, he stepped inside and quietly shut the door behind him. He could hear the TV on and then it suddenly being turned off. Then he heard the sound of a little girl’s voice and that caught his attention and curiosity.

“Mommy, who is here?”

“Nobody, Riles. Why don’t we get you to bed, huh?”

“I don’t want to, Mommy!”

“Riley. Now.”

Henry felt a lump form in his throat and he tentatively rounded the corner. He saw Emma standing by a couch and a little girl with blonde curly hair standing on the couch, pouting as she folded her arms over her chest.

“Mommy, who is that?” The little girl asked as she looked right at Henry and Emma turned to look back at him.

“Riles—”

“Hi,” Henry said quietly and he walked through the kitchen, stopping at the side of the island. “I’m Henry.”

“Hi, Henry.”

Henry watched Emma pick up the little girl with a shake of her head and she walked past him and to one of the bedrooms, nearly slamming the door shut behind her. He frowned and looked around the apartment, looking at the few boxes that were half unpacked and the many toys that were all around. On the refrigerator there were pictures of Emma and the little girl, happy and smiling and laughing at whoever had taken the pictures. He opened the refrigerator and spotted a bottle of orange juice and he pulled it out just as Emma came back into the kitchen.

“You have a daughter,” he stated as he twisted off the cap of the juice and before he could drink straight from the bottle, Emma moved to grab a clean glass out of the drying rack beside the sink. “She is your daughter, isn’t she?”

“Look, kid—”

“You gave me up,” he said and the tears that had been threatening to fall finally rolled down his cheeks. “You gave me up and you kept _her_?”

“Can you give me a minute?” Emma asked quietly. “Give me a minute and I’ll—I’ll be right back, all right?”

“Sure.”

He watched her walk off into another room and shut the door behind her, quieter than the last time. He poured the juice into the glass as his mind raced and the tears kept on falling.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go at all. From the moment he had knocked on the door, everything started to fall apart, but at the same time, the pieces started to fall together.

Were Emma and Beth twins? Sisters? They _had_ to be, he thought as he sipped the cold orange juice. His book hadn’t said anything about Snow White having twins, so none of it made any sense to him at all. Why was Beth in Storybrooke and Emma was there in Boston? Was Emma the Savior as the book said she was? She _had_ to be. Henry was so convinced that she just had to be.

But why wasn’t Beth the Savior too or why hadn’t she been mentioned in the book? Henry frowned as his head started to throb. Too many questions and not enough answers. But, he’d figure it out. He always did. He didn’t come all this way for nothing, after all.

He turned to look at the door as it opened and the little girl tentatively stuck her head out. He smiled as he put down his glass and motioned for her to come out. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand as she approached him.

“Hi, I’m Henry,” he said. “I guess I’m your brother.”

“Hi.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I've borrowed some lines of dialogue from the show just to get the story going to where I'm taking it. Aside from that, hope everyone reading is still enjoying this one! We have a lot of story left to tell and I'm very, very, VERY excited to continue sharing it with all of you!

Emma stood in the kitchen and watched the two children in the living room interact with one another. She’d changed out of her dress and into a pair of jeans and a simple gray shirt not long after she’d run off to the bathroom to give herself a few minutes to process what was happening.

She could tell almost right away that he had expected something else to happen when she opened the door. She had seen the devastation on his face when Riley appeared and again when she’d come out of the bathroom to find him and Riley talking in the kitchen.

Emma hadn’t said much of anything since she came out of the bathroom nearly twenty minutes earlier, but she had told the two of them to sit in the living room while she figured things out. She wasn’t sure what to do with the boy who had appeared at her door, but she did know that calling the cops was definitely not an option either.

Emma needed a drink. She needed a beer badly, or even something stronger, but she knew she couldn’t when she needed to keep a clear head and a sober mind. She needed to figure out what she was going to do because Henry could not stay there with her, not when he had a mother that was likely worried sick about him and looking for him.

She picked up her cell from the counter and called Miss Carla. If she was going to take the boy home, she didn’t want to drag Riley along, especially not with it being her bedtime. But the phone rang nearly six times before Miss Carla answered and Emma knew before she even said a word that it was too late to ask her to watch Riley for the night.

“Did he find you, dear?”

“Yeah, he—he did,” Emma stammered. “How—”

“He came here first,” Miss Carla replied. “Said it was the address he’d been given to find you.”

“Oh.”

“Emma Swan, how is it I’ve known you all this time and you never told me you had a son?”

“Because I don’t have a son, Miss Carla,” Emma said, careful to keep her voice low. “I gave him up for adoption.”

“He is still your son.”

“No,” she frowned. “He’s someone else’s son. I just gave birth to him, that’s all.”

“Then you best return him to his parents, dear. They’re likely worried sick about him.”

“Yeah, yeah I know. I am going to do that, it’s just—I need a favor, Miss Carla, and I know it’s a little late to ask, but can you watch Riley tonight?”

“I’m afraid not,” she replied. “I’m sorry, Emma.”

“It’s okay,” she sighed. “I’ll figure something out. Sorry to bother you, Miss Carla.”

“It’s no bother. Have a good night, dear.”

“You too.”

Emma frowned as she placed her phone back down on the counter. Her focus went right back to the two children on the couch and she sighed heavily. She wasn’t happy that Henry had told Riley that he was her brother. While it was true he was her half-brother, she didn’t want Riley thinking he was going to be a part of their lives for any longer than that night.

“Hey, kid?” Emma asked and both children looked over at her. “Where do you live?”

“Someplace you’ve never heard of before.”

“Try me.”

“Storybrooke.”

Emma laughed tightly. “Storybrooke, huh? Where is that?”

“In Maine.”

Emma pinched the bridge of her nose and walked into the living room. “Okay,” she sighed. “How did you get here anyway?”

“I took the bus and then a cab.”

Emma glanced at the clock and she knew that the next bus wouldn’t be leaving until the morning at the earliest, especially on a Sunday night in October. She couldn’t just put him on a bus home either, as easy as it seemed. For right now, she was responsible for him until she got him home where he belonged. The last thing she needed was to be charged with child endangerment or even kidnapping. She knew the police would believe him over her, especially when he told them that she was his birth mother. They’d never believe her if she told them that he just showed up at her door out of nowhere. Never. Even she wouldn’t believe it if the roles were reversed.

“Look, kid, why don’t you let me take you home?” Emma offered and he just shrugged. “Is there a reason why you don’t want to go home, kid?”

“No reason,” he shrugged again. “It’s just that you’re supposed to come home with me, that’s all.”

“Kid—”

“You’d like Storybrooke,” he said to Riley. “I can even show you my most favorite place in the whole world.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, there is a castle and everything,” Henry smiled at her and Emma winced at the way Riley beamed at him. “You’d really like it there. It definitely needs a princess.”

“Me? I’m a princess?”

“Well duh!” Henry laughed and Riley echoed his laughter. “Every castle needs a princess, right?”

Emma shook her head and walked into Riley’s room. She grabbed a change of clothes for her, just in case, and put them into an old diaper bag she still had that she found on the top shelf in the small closet. She packed a few of Riley’s toys in case she got fussy during the drive to Storybrooke, Maine, and when she walked out of the bedroom, all she could hear was Riley and Henry’s laughter filling the apartment.

It didn’t take much to convince them both to head down to the Bug. Emma was trying to figure Henry out, but the kid was definitely strange and he was definitely hiding something Her lie detector, her superpower, was going off like crazy, but she didn’t want to say anything. Not in front of Riley.

Henry stood at the passenger side while Emma got Riley settled into the car seat in the back. For once she was relieved that Riley wasn’t fighting her over being put into the car seat. She buckled her in and smiled as she ruffled Riley’s blonde hair and then she pushed the passenger seat back and turned to look at Henry.

“Ready, kid?”

“Okay.”

“Right, okay.”

Emma walked around to the driver’s side and got in. She pulled out her phone and did a quick search for Storybrooke, Maine, but nothing came up. She turned to look at Henry skeptically and he just stared right back at her.

“It’s not on any map,” Henry said quietly.

“Yeah, I see that. Why not? Are you sure you’re not just making up a place so I don’t take you home?”

“I’m not making it up!” Henry responded defensively and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you believe in destiny, Emma? In fate?”

“Can’t say that I do,” she replied and she adjusted the rearview mirror and looked back at Riley. “Why?”

“You don’t believe you can be destined for something in life? That there are no coincidences?”

“Are you sure you’re ten, kid?”

“I’m sure.”

“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Emma said and she pulled out of her parking space. “I don’t believe in destiny or fate either, so I don’t know what to tell you, kid. Why do you ask anyway?”

“No reason.”

“Come on, I don’t believe that. I may not be good at a lot of things in life, but I have a superpower.”

“You do?”

“Yeah,” Emma nodded. “I can always tell when someone is lying.”

“But I’m not lying.”

“You’re not telling me the truth either, kid.”

Henry fell silent as Emma drove down the street and made a turn, heading for the interstate that would take her north out of the city. She cast a few glances at him over the next half hour since neither of them spoke, and she could see so many similarities to Neal in Henry that it seemed almost unreal to her, almost as if it was impossible that he had found her and was there right now.

Of all the times she’d thought of that baby boy she’d given up without a second thought, she’d never thought that he would find her one day, especially not on her birthday of all days. And of all the times she wondered about him, what she’d seen so far was unlike anything she’d ever imagined him to be. Then again, she never quite knew what to expect whenever she thought about ever meeting her son she’d given up so many years ago.

“Can we stop and get something to eat?”

Emma glanced over at him and shook her head. “This isn’t a road trip, kid. I’m taking you home.”

“Fine.”

Emma shook her head again and focused on the road. After a few minutes, she looked back over at him and watched him pull out a large leather-bound book from inside of his bag. In the passing light of the streetlights, she could see that it was a book of fairytales and she quirked an eyebrow as she gently nudged at his shoulder.

“A book of fairytales, kid?”

“Yeah.”

“Aren’t you too old for those?”

“There’s aren’t just any fairytales, Emma.”

“Shouldn’t you be into comic books?” Emma asked and he quirked an eyebrow at her that sent an eerie chill down her spine. “Okay,” she sighed. “What’s so different about this book, kid?”

“Like I said, these just aren’t just any fairytales. Not like the ones you know, anyway.”

“How so?”

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “I don’t think you’re ready yet.”

“Kid—”

“You’re not,” he said pointedly. “But you will be.”

Emma gripped the steering wheel and sighed heavily. It was going to be a very long drive and her mind was racing with a thousand different thoughts, but mostly the only thing at the front of her mind was getting him home where he belonged and making the long drive back home to Boston.

[X]

Regina paced in the study with a glass of cider in her right hand. The ice clinked louder than the steady tap of her heels on the floor. The sheriff was sitting by the unlit fireplace and the deputy stood in the study doorway watching her. She was wrought with worry, as it had been nearly sixteen hours since Henry had left on the bus to go to Boston in search of his birth mother. The sheriff had made a few calls to a few police stations in Boston, but all they told him was that they’d put out an alert of a missing child and do what they could to find him.

It wasn’t enough for Regina. Not nearly enough. As prepared as she thought she was for this to happen, the longer that Henry was gone, the more she worried he would never come home again.

“Regina, do you want me to call and see if there is any information?” Graham asked. “Regina?”

“They said they would call, didn’t they?”

“Wouldn’t hurt to follow up,” Elizabeth offered. “Regina, he’s okay, you know that right?”

“No, no I don’t know that. For all we know he could’ve gotten lost or—or—”

“It’s Henry, Regina,” Elizabeth said and she walked over to where Regina continued to pace and placed a hand on her arm. “He’s a bright kid. He is smart and resourceful. He’ll be okay, Regina.”

“She’s right,” Graham said as he stood up from the sofa and straightened out his vest. “Henry is going to be okay.”

“He is not going to be okay until he is home!”

“Regina,” Elizabeth said softly. “I know you’re upset and that you are very worried right now, but—”

“Don’t,” Regina hissed. Graham didn’t know that she already knew before Henry had left that morning that she knew exactly what was going to happen. He didn’t know that his deputy was well aware either. “Perhaps you should go back to the station, Deputy Crane, just in case they call that number instead of the house.”

“Regina, are you sure you—”

“Deputy,” Graham said with a shake of his head. “I think she’s right. You should go back to the station and man the phones. I’ll stay here just in case they call or Henry comes home, whatever happens first.”

“Let me walk you out,” Regina said, but Graham just shook his head no.

“Let me. Sit down and try to relax, Regina.”

She frowned as she watched the two walk out and she walked over to the window that looked out over the front yard. It wasn’t very often she saw the two of them together, it was either one or the other in her presence, but as she watched them walk down the front walkway to where the deputy had parked her cruiser, she didn’t miss the look exchanged between the two, nor did she definitely not miss the quick kiss they shared before the deputy got in the car and drove off.

She watched Graham watch Elizabeth drive off. She watched him as he rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. She watched him just stand there for a moment or two before he turned and walked back up the front walkway. She watched as her mind raced with thoughts she really didn’t want to be having in that very moment, not when she felt like she was on the verge of a breakdown because Henry was gone.

She had known there was something going on. She had known, well, suspected that they were together, but to see it happening with her very eyes made it different. Real. And it made her furious. It made her so furious that she had momentarily forgotten she had planned to use that information to her advantage when the time came. The betrayal was worse than she had thought it would be when she had first suspected the two had something going on behind her back.

Regina resumed her pacing before the sheriff returned to the study and she lifted her glass to her lips, noticing right away that her hand was shaking in anger. She downed the sweet liquid and turned to look at the sheriff with a scowl as he walked in.

“How long have you two been seeing each other?”

“What?” Graham looked at her nervously. “How long—what are you talking about, Regina?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Sheriff,” she said in a biting tone that even made her shudder at the sound. She shook her head and walked over to where she kept the decanter of cider and topped up her glass. “How long have you and Deputy Crane been seeing each other?”

The sheriff sighed heavily and walked over to the table. “Can I have a drink, Regina?”

“You’re technically on duty, Sheriff.”

“Technically,” he muttered. “Never mind.”

“Answer the question.”

He sighed again. “I don’t know how long it’s been. A while, I suppose. It’s not—it’s not serious. We’re keeping things very low-key and casual.”

“Is that right?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. She and I didn’t think anyone would ever find out. We were just having fun.”

“Fun?”

“Regina—”

“What?” She snapped as her anger consumed her completely. “What, Sheriff? What pathetic excuse are you going to try to convince me of, hmm? That it _just_ happened between you two? How long has this been going on?”

“Since not long after I hired her,” he mumbled under his breath. Regina heard him loud and clear. “Look, I know we’re friends, but I—we never intended for you to find out.”

“We are not friends, Sheriff. I am your boss. There is nothing more to it than that.”

He knew not to talk back. He never did. Regina wasn’t sure what made her angrier, the fact that she had only suspected that the sheriff and deputy were seeing one another, or the fact that Elizabeth had never once mentioned anything to her about it.

A big part of her felt betrayed for both reasons. Nobody betrayed her, not without consequences. In the old world, a betrayal such as that against the Queen would result in imprisonment and even death if she so sought it to be fit.

Regina downed her glass and shakily put it down in front of the decanter. She needed to slow down, she could already feel the buzz coursing through her body and her anger and anxiety wasn’t helping any either.

It took her a few minutes to collect her thoughts before she realized that betrayal was the wrong thing to describe how she was feeling. The anxiety and the stress over Henry wasn’t helping matters and it was causing her to react in ways she never would if the situation was any different. She turned to the sheriff with a frown and tried to figure out what was going through his mind.

As usual, he looked very stoic, his face void of emotion, of thought. It reminded her of a marionette puppet, controlled only by the ones pulling the strings. She was the puppet master, she’d always been since the moment the curse had hit, but with the Huntsman, she’d long since controlled him as his heart had been taken long before she even cast the dark curse.

Because she had his heart, it would only make sense that he could not fall in love with Elizabeth Crane. He would never be able to fall in love, not with her or anyone else as long as Regina had his heart locked in that box in her office at the town hall with the key hidden inside her vault.

“Regina?” Graham tried lightly. “Are you all right?”

She scowled as she looked over at him. “I’m fine,” she responded tightly. “I’m just worried about my son.”

“He’ll turn up,” he said. “It’s Henry. He knows where he belongs and that is right here. With you.”

“We’ll see, Sheriff, we’ll see.”

[X]

Henry stared out the window at the trees as Emma drove her yellow bug down the narrow road that led to Storybrooke. They were getting closer and he knew it because he could _feel_ it. It was a feeling he couldn’t quite describe, but it was one that he knew what it was when he felt it.

Emma hadn’t said a word since they’d gotten off the interstate aside from telling him she still wasn’t finding Storybrooke on her GPS. Yet, despite her not believing him, she still drove on, heading down the road he told her to take.

Henry turned to look back at the little girl sleeping in her car seat. She looked so much like Emma, like Beth, with the hair and the shape of her eyes, even the shape of her lips and the way that she smiled reminded him of Beth, and now of Emma too.

He was growing worried, not because of the silence in the car, but because of how his mother was going to react when he showed up at the house. He could’ve run off before he even got into Emma’s old car, he could’ve found a way to not go home, but he was just a kid and Emma was his real mom. A part of him knew he had to listen to her even if he didn’t want to go home at all.

“You sure about this road, kid?”

“Yeah. It’s the only road into town.”

“Right,” Emma sighed. “If you say so, kid.”

Henry frowned and he looked up ahead and then he smiled when he saw the “Welcome to Storybrooke” sign. He cleared his throat and Emma muttered incoherently under her breath as she drove past the sign. Henry put his book back in his bag and zipped it up. He’d been trying to figure out how to explain everything to Emma since they got into the car, but he still had some things to figure out for himself too, the main thing being why Emma and Beth were nearly identical.

Were they twins? Doppelgängers? As far as he was concerned either was a possibility, but then again, if they were twins, why hadn’t his book mentioned them both? Why did his book only mention Emma and not Beth as the savior?

“So, tell me about that book of yours,” Emma said. “Those fairytales. Are they any good?”

“Oh yeah,” Henry nodded. “They’re all true, too. Every story in this book actually happened.”

“Of course it did.”

“Use your superpower. See if I’m lying.”

Emma glanced at him and sighed. “Just because you believe something, doesn’t make it true.”

“That’s exactly what makes it true. You should know more than anyone.”

“Why is that?” Emma asked.

“Because you’re in this book.”

“Oh, kid, you’ve got problems.”

“Yep, and you’re gonna fix ‘em,” Henry replied. He shook his head as Emma looked at him with a confused look on her face. She wasn’t ready yet, but that didn’t mean he could ease her into the idea that maybe she really was the savior everyone in the town had been waiting for to save them.

Emma drove down Main Street as thunder rumbled and the rain started to fall. She sighed and turned to look at him and frowned. “Okay, how about an address, kid?”

“Forty-four I’m-not-telling-you Street.”

Emma hit the brakes and skidded to a stop. She was angry, livid even, as she got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Henry shuddered as one of the power lines blew nearby and he looked back at the little girl in the car seat, amazed she hadn’t been woken up by the sudden stop Emma had made in the middle of the intersection.

“Look, it’s been a long night and it’s almost…” Emma trailed off as she looked up at the clock tower. “Eight-fifteen?”

“That clock hasn’t moved in my whole life,” Henry said as he walked around the car to where she was standing. “Time’s frozen here.”

He held his breath as Emma shook her head. “Excuse me?” She asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

It wasn’t how he wanted to break it to her, but she was right about one thing, it had been a long night and an even longer day. It was a now or never moment. If he didn’t convince her to stay in Storybrooke, the curse would never be broken and he’d be stuck living in a town where time stood still under the dark curse for all eternity.

“The Evil Queen did it with her curse,” he said. “She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here.”

“Hang on. An evil Queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here?”

“Yeah, and now they’re trapped.”

“Frozen in time and stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. That’s what you’re going with?” Emma asked skeptically.

“It’s true!”

“Then why doesn’t everybody just leave?” Emma asked as if it was the simplest solution to the very problem.

“They can’t. If they try, bad things happen.”

“Henry?” Dr. Archie Hopper called out from across the street as he came over with his dog, Pongo. “What are you doing here? Is everything all right?”

“I’m fine, Archie.”

“Oh,” he said and he turned to Emma with a smile. “Hello, Elizabeth.”

Henry panicked and shook his head. “She’s not Elizabeth,” he said quickly. “She—”

“Oh, is this a game?” Archie asked with an amused smile and Henry grimaced. Archie knelt down in front of him and sighed. “Are you playing a game of make-believe, Henry?”

“Yeah,” Henry muttered. “Yeah, that’s it,” he said and he cast a glance over at Emma. “A game.”

Archie stared at Henry for a moment before shaking his head, and Henry let out a sigh of relief when the doctor went along with his lie. He was scared because he didn’t know how long the doctor would believe the lie for or if he’d call Emma “Elizabeth” again, further creating problems that Henry definitely wasn’t prepared to face.

“So, who is this?” Archie asked as he stood up to face Emma, believing he was playing along with the game.

“Oh, she’s my mom, Archie.”

“Oh. I see.”

“Do you know where he lives?” Emma asked and Henry could tell by the way she spoke that she was not only confused but that she’d had enough.

Henry watched the two carefully while Archie explained where he lived. Emma looked down at Henry with a look of disbelief and Henry hung his head low.

“You’re the mayor’s kid?” She asked incredulously. “Unbelievable.”

“Mommy?” Riley called out from inside the car. “Where are we, Mommy?”

“Don’t worry, baby girl, we’re going home soon,” Emma said as she turned to the open window. She sighed as she turned back to Henry and then at Dr. Hopper. “Thank you.”

Archie didn’t say anything more other than saying good night and Henry sluggishly made his way back around to the other side of the car and got in. Emma sighed and got in the car and shut the door, turning to check in on Riley before she turned to him once again.

“Let’s get you home, kid.”

[X]

Of all the unbelievably crazy moments in her life, the entire night was winning. Emma hadn’t anticipated any of this happening, not when all she planned on doing was spending her birthday with her daughter.

What Henry had told her about his book, about the curse, and the people in Storybrooke, she was still trying to process it all. How was she supposed to react to a kid with an obviously over-active imagination? Her experience with Riley was to just go along with it, to humor the kid in case they got upset when they were told that it wasn’t real or true. It seemed like she hadn’t been the only one either as the man they’d met in the street had thought she was someone else but went along with Henry when he said he was playing a game of make-believe.

All she wanted to do was get the kid home where he belonged and get back to Boston and her life. Still, her curiosity was piqued. Henry was a lot more troubled than she thought he was and he had others playing along with him as his imagination worked in overdrive.

“He doesn’t seem cursed to me,” she said quietly as she stared at Henry, hoping for some kind of explanation. In fact, she was more than curious as to what he was going to say about the man they’d met in the street.

“He doesn’t know.”

“That he’s a fairytale character?”

“None of them do. They don’t remember who they are.”

Emma sighed. “Convenient. All right, I’ll play,” she groaned as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Who’s he supposed to be?”

“Jiminy Cricket,” Henry said matter-of-factly.

Emma just raised an eyebrow and instead of playing along any further, she shifted into first gear and headed down the street slowly. She picked up her phone and went through the map, surprised that the town finally showed up when it didn’t before they’d gotten there.

She found Mifflin Street fairly easily and she pulled up in front of the biggest house on the block. She shifted into park, turned off the engine, and she glanced into the backseat at Riley, who had thankfully fallen back asleep.

She was tired and cranky and all she wanted to do was drop the kid off with his mother and go home with Riley. She stared at Henry for a second and then up at the house that was lit up. It was a beautiful house, big, and it was everything she’d always wanted growing up, and she was a little relieved to know that Henry was living the life she’d never had and one she had wished for him when she’d given him up.

Emma just shook her head, got out of the car, and walked around to the driver’s side. Henry just stared straight ahead, ignoring her. She opened the door and gave him a little tug on his jacket until he huffed and got out.

“Please don’t take me back there,” he begged as she led the way to the gate and unlatched it.

“I have to. I’m sure your parents are worried about you.”

“I told you, I don’t have parents, just a mom, and she’s evil,” Henry replied.

“Evil?” Emma groaned. “That’s a bit extreme, isn’t it?”

Henry looked down at the ground with a frown. “She is. She doesn’t love me. She only pretends to.”

The way he said it nearly broke her heart. “Kid,” she sighed tiredly and bent down to get on his level as he refused to look her in the eye. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Henry!”

Emma turned to look at the woman that ran out of the front door and down the walkway towards them. She was taken back because she had not for a single moment imagined that Henry’s mother would be not only young but breathtakingly _gorgeous_ too.

“Oh, Henry!” Her voice broke and Emma swallowed thickly at hearing the pain that only a mother could know. “Oh! Are you okay?”

Henry allowed her to hold him without a word and all Emma could do was watch as it all unfolded. Quickly, she noticed, the woman’s anger took over her emotional relief that her son had returned home and she held him out at arm’s length.

“Where have you been?!” She asked and she turned to Emma. “What happened? Elizabeth—”

“I found my _real_ mom!” Henry yelled before he turned and ran into the house.

Emma inhaled slowly as she watched the woman’s entire expression change yet again. It was one that was completely unreadable and it made her nervous as hell. She didn’t know what to say and all she could do was stare at the woman in the gray dress in front of her. She also wasn’t sure what to think of the woman calling her by another name. Elizabeth. First, the man in the street had mistaken her for someone else and now the woman who had adopted Henry had done the exact same thing. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she wanted to find out. She would, one way or another, that was for sure.

“Y—you’re Henry’s birth mother?” She asked in confusion, but there was a little bit of surprise too in her eyes Emma noticed almost right away.

“Hi,” she sighed with a half smile and she just couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the woman in front of her.

The man that came out with her stepped up to them. He looked at Emma with a knowing look and a slight nod. “I’ll just go and check on the lad, make sure he’s all right.”

The two of them just stood there for a moment staring at one another. Emma could feel the woman judging her as soon as the expression in her eyes turned hard and cold. She watched as those cold brown eyes flicked down her body briefly before they settled back on her face. Then again her expression changed as she held her head high and her shoulders back.

“How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?”

“Normally I’d ask for something stronger, but I really can’t stay, ma’am.”

“Oh?”

“I was just dropping the kid off and I—”

“Mommy?” Riley called out sleepily as she let herself out of the car. “Mommy, can we go home now?”

[X]

Regina paced in the kitchen while Henry’s birth mother took her young daughter into the bathroom before they would embark on the long drive back to Boston. She grabbed two clean glasses and walked out into the dining room, faltering a little when she saw Emma Swan standing just out in the hallway with the tired yet wide-eyed little girl clinging to her leg as she stood behind her.

“Thanks,” Emma said quietly. “I didn’t think she’d wake up anytime soon.”

“It’s no bother. Now that you’re here, why don’t you stay for a drink, Miss Swan?”

“I really shouldn’t. I should really get back on the road and—”

“Can I have some milk, Mommy?” The little girl asked she looked at Regina with a shy smile. “I’m thirsty.”

Regina put down the glasses on the table with shaky hands and smiled politely at the little girl. She headed back into the kitchen and took a moment to collect her thoughts.

When Regina had first walked out of the house, she was almost convinced that the woman standing on her walkway was none other than Elizabeth Crane. She had been so overcome with relief that Henry was home, that it took her a moment to realize the woman that was standing there was not Elizabeth Crane, but another woman completely.

She searched through the cupboards for a plastic cup and suddenly she felt as if she’d walked straight into a thick, concrete wall. Her whole world suddenly felt as if it were about to come crashing down as she began to connect the dots.

Emma Swan was not only Henry’s birth mother, she was Elizabeth’s twin that had escaped the curse, and that meant, as it had been prophesied, the savior had come to town to fulfill her destiny and to break the dark curse.

Regina gripped tight onto the plastic cup as her heart raced and her whole body went rigid. If Emma Swan was the savior she had feared all those years, that meant she had unknowingly adopted the savior’s son. But, that wasn’t the biggest surprise. She looked to the doorway and shook her head. No, the biggest surprise was finding out that the savior had another child, a little girl no more than four years old she guessed, a little girl she had kept when she had willingly given Henry up after he’d been born.

She couldn’t even imagine how Henry had felt when he had found out about the little girl. She couldn’t imagine what went through his mind or the betrayal he most likely felt knowing that this woman had given him up and kept the little girl by choice.

That very sense of betrayal could work to her advantage. Henry was convinced she could never love him because he was convinced she was the Evil Queen, and the Evil Queen could _never_ love anyone, not even a boy she saw as her own son. With that betrayal, knowing that his birth mother truly never wanted him, she could make her son love her as he did before he began to believe in all the stories the book told him. She could make everything go back to the way it was and always should be, just as long as she got rid of Emma Swan and her little daughter first.

Regina poured some milk into the plastic cup and walked out of the kitchen with a new sense of confidence. She could not show weakness around that woman, not now, not ever.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try my apple cider? I make it myself,” Regina asked and Emma just nodded with a little shrug of her shoulders. “A little bit won’t hinder your impairment to drive home, dear.”

“If you say so.”

Regina led the way to the study, pausing only to allow Emma a moment to pick up her daughter and carry her in. Regina poured what was left in the decanter into both glasses before adding a little bit of ice. She smiled at Emma as she handed her a glass and watched as Emma put her daughter down on the sofa.

“She looks a lot like Henry did when he was young, aside from the hair, of course,” Regina mused as she stood in front of the fireplace and sipped her drink. “How old is she?”

“She just turned four a few months ago.”

“Is she—is her father the same as—”

“No,” Emma said quietly. “They have different fathers.”

“I see.”

“How did he find me?” Emma asked and Regina just walked out of the kitchen, motioning for her to follow.

“No idea,” Regina replied. “When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. The records were sealed. I was told the birth mother didn’t want to have any contact.”

“You were told right.”

“And the father? Do I need to worry about him?”

“Nope. He doesn’t even know.”

“Do I need to be worried about you, Miss Swan?” Regina asked as she stared at the woman uneasily.

“Absolutely not.”

Regina turned to look at the door as the sheriff walked in. She clenched her jaw, hoping he knew better than to address Emma Swan as his deputy. All they did was exchange one look, her with one of warning and him with one of knowing.

“Madam Mayor, you can relax. Other than being a tired little boy, Henry’s fine,” he said.

“Thank you, Sheriff.”

He left with a curt nod, but not before casting a glance at Emma and her daughter sitting on the sofa. Regina clenched her jaw tightly and he left without another word. She took another sip of her drink before sitting down on the sofa opposite of the other woman.

“I’m sorry he dragged you out of your life. I really don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

“Kid’s having a rough time. It happens,” Emma shrugged. “Riley, be careful, please,” she said and she moved to hold onto the plastic cup and helped the little girl carefully take a sip of the milk. “We should probably go. Like I said before, I can’t stay, and it’s past her bedtime.”

“Of course.”

“Look, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” Emma said and she downed was little cider was in her glass before placing it down on the coffee table. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m not going to stick around and try to be in Henry’s life. I have a life of my own in Boston and Riley to worry about now. I really should be heading back.”

“Of course.”

She walked Emma and her young daughter to the door, making sure to lock it after they’d left. She exhaled sharply as she headed back into the study. She paced in front of the fireplace and sipped her drink, and just faintly she heard a wolf howling off in the distance.

With a scowl, she finished off her drink and hesitated for a moment before pouring another glass. She needed to relax, but it was impossible to when her mind was racing and filled with worry. She could only hope that it was the last she’d see of Emma Swan, and she hoped that the woman had the sense never, ever to return to Storybrooke…


	6. Chapter 6

Emma drove out of town, thankful the rain had stopped and the clouds had moved out. The road was slick and she kept her speed down, but the urgency to get out of town and back home to Boston made her want to hit about twenty above the speed limit and never look back.

The day had not only been long, but really confusing as well. She was too tired to try to piece everything together, and as she glanced over at the passenger seat, she groaned when she saw Henry’s book sitting there, and for the second time that night, she heard a wolf howling only it wasn’t off in the distance as it had been before.

She barely glanced back at the road before she hit the brakes and the car skidded to a stop. There, just twenty feet ahead of her, a lone gray wolf stood in the middle of the road staring straight at her. She swallowed thickly as she stared at the wolf in the light of her headlights and the panic settled in when the headlights flickered and died as the engine suddenly cut out.

In the bright light of the moon, she watched the wolf, unsure of what to do. She turned to check on Riley and found she had already fallen back into a deep sleep, and then she turned to pick up the book that Henry had left behind.

“Sneaky bastard,” Emma muttered under her breath.

Emma sighed and started to flip through the book, curious about why a ten-year-old boy was so enamored by fairytales, so much that he believed them to be true. She flipped through the pages, seeing stories she vaguely remembered reading as a child, and some that she’d read to Riley when she wanted a story or two before bedtime. She shook her head and was about to close the book when the page flipped and her eyes landed on an illustrated picture of the Evil Queen.

“Damn,” she said under her breath. “No wonder he thinks she is the Evil Queen. She looks just like her.”

Emma tossed the book back on the passenger seat and tried to turn the engine over. It sputtered a few times before dying off and she frowned as she gripped onto the steering wheel tightly. That wasn’t right. Her beloved Bug _never_ failed her. She’d had it serviced not long after she and Riley moved into the new place, so there was absolutely no reason that it just suddenly up and died on her out there on the dark, quiet road with a wolf standing twenty feet away watching her.

When the wolf began to slowly stalk towards the car, she panicked and tried to turn the engine over again, but each time she turned the key, it did nothing but click. The engine was dead and she was essentially trapped on that road with a wolf stalking towards the car, watching, and waiting—for what she didn’t want to find out.

Emma wasn’t sure what to do. It was a bit of a walk back into town, but one she wasn’t going to risk, not with the wolf casually hanging out and looking at her like she was its dinner. She also couldn’t stay there, not with the temperature in the car dropping fast.

She tried to turn the engine over again, even hitting the gas in a feeble attempt to get the engine to turn over. She hit the steering wheel a few times in frustration before she gripped on tight and focused on breathing to calm down.

“Get outta here,” Emma muttered, staring at the gray wolf that hadn’t moved on the road for a few minutes. “Go on, get!”

She groaned and let go of the steering wheel and rubbed her palms over her jean-clad thighs. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and tried to turn it on. Dead. Of _course_.

“Can this day get any worse?” Emma moaned. “Crap.”

[X]

Regina paced in the study, wave after wave of panic coursing through her body, and she glanced at the clock on the mantel for the umpteenth time before she heard the soft knock on the front door. With a scowl, Regina raced to the door and flung it open.

“How many times have I instructed you to use the key that I gave you and to only enter through the back door?”

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth said softly. “Regina—”

“Not here,” she snapped and she grabbed a hold of the deputy’s wrist and led her into the study. She shut the door and grabbed her glass of cider. “I have a problem.”

Elizabeth frowned and she lifted a hand to rub at the back of her neck. “What problem is that? Henry is home, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is.”

“So? I don’t—”

“ _She_ brought him home.”

“His mother?”

“The woman that gave him up,” Regina said tightly. “She is _not_ his mother, Elizabeth. I am.”

“I know you are, it’s just that—” Elizabeth cut herself off and shook her head with a heavy sigh. “Is she still here? In town?”

“She left.”

“Regina,” Elizabeth said softly as she tentatively approached her and Regina backed away before the woman could touch her. “How is that a problem if she’s gone?”

Regina clenched her jaw tightly. Emma Swan was just the beginning of her problem, Elizabeth being the other part of it. She had never, in all the years since she’d cast the curse, thought of the possibility that the twin who had escaped the curse would come back. She never thought of the problems that would arise if the two ever came face to face. At least the sheriff had the mind not to say a word, not in front of the woman who had brought Henry home.

Regina studied Elizabeth closely for a moment. They truly were nearly identical, save for the length of their hair and a faded, jagged scar on Elizabeth’s chin she’d gotten as a child from being careless, as children tend to be. If Emma Swan stayed in Storybrooke, people would automatically think that she was the deputy and that would create even more problems.

She downed her drink as the wheels in her head continued to turn. For the first time since Emma Swan brought her son home, she thought of Snow White and the whole reason why she’d cast the curse in the first place. She felt deflated and defeated, as she’d known for a long time that the curse didn’t give her the happy ending she had thought it would. The curse hadn’t made her happy even though it was clear that everyone else in that god-forsaken town was.

The panic that gripped her felt like it had her heart in a vice-like grip. Her chest felt heavy and it was hard to breathe. It wasn’t until she felt the deputy’s hands on her shoulders that she released the breath she’d been holding, her whole body shaking as she turned to face the woman who was just one half of the source of her current predicament.

Regina downed the last of her drink and stepped away from Elizabeth with a scowl. She hated that the woman had such an effect on her, especially when she was the one person she should hate just as much as her mother. It was supposed to be the ultimate revenge, bedding Snow White’s daughter and having that control over her along with the ability to bend her will in any way she so wished.

Guilt was not something that Regina dealt with well, and as she stared into her empty glass and at the ice that was melting, that feeling washed over her and sank its ugly teeth into her deep. She gritted her teeth and walked over to the table to grab the decanter and she poured another glass of cider, one she knew she shouldn’t have since she was already feeling a little more than tipsy.

“Regina,” Elizabeth said softly and Regina flinched as she was far too close to her for her liking at the moment. “What is going on?”

“You would most definitely not understand.”

“Try me.”

“Would you like a drink?” Regina asked and she turned around, suddenly finding herself pressed up against the table by the blonde. “Miss Crane, I am not in the mood tonight.”

“You always call me over when you need a distraction,” she purred lightly. “Isn’t that why you called me here? To provide a distraction from your problem?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

Anger bubbled and roared through Regina and she roughly put her glass down before grabbing a hold of Elizabeth’s wrists.

“I told you that I am not in the mood to play.”

“You’re always in the mood, my Queen.”

“Not tonight.”

“Then why am I here?” Elizabeth asked. “Why?”

Regina let go of her wrists and shook her head. Elizabeth was part of the problem, but if she said anything, it would cause her to have to answer questions she wasn’t ready to hear or answer at the moment. Regina didn’t even know how to answer the questions she knew were coming and the panic increased tenfold as she stared at the woman who was currently challenging her.

Had this been any other time, any other situation, Regina would’ve readily challenged her right back. She was falling off her game and she hated that feeling of defeat.

If there was one thing that Regina hated most in life, it was that feeling of defeat. She had done all that she could to turn situations around to prevent that very feeling from prevailing in the first place, but this was a situation she had very little control over, and one she needed a clearer, soberer mind to figure out what she was going to do next.

She looked over at the woman standing in front of her and she thought back to all the times she’d called and Elizabeth had come running without question and without hesitation. Elizabeth didn’t know anything otherwise. Elizabeth didn’t know who she really was, who her parents really were, or that her twin sister had arrived in Storybrooke and had—hopefully—left to return to her life in Boston.

Yet, Regina knew that it wasn’t the last she’d see of Emma Swan. That sinking feeling deep in her gut told her so. She scowled and grabbed her glass, downing the last of the cider and she turned to look at Elizabeth.

She wanted to send her away, not just out of her house, but _away_ to where she could never be found. She’d done it with the Imp’s lover and she could do it with her own. People in town would notice something was different and that their deputy was missing, but nobody would question it. Each day would just restart again, playing out the way it always had for the last twenty-eight years.

Regina had to stop herself from pouring yet another glass. It was too easy to drink, to lose her thoughts and forget about the day she’d just had and the problems that had arisen as soon as Henry had been brought home.

“Why don’t you get some sleep?” Elizabeth suggested quietly. “I could stick around—”

“You’re not staying.”

“Not in your bed, no,” she said with a shake of her head. “I meant I could stay in the cruiser. Just in case.”

“In case of what?”

“In case _she_ comes back.”

Regina gritted her teeth. She knew it was a possibility that Emma Swan could come back, but the woman had been too eager to leave to return home to Boston with her young daughter. Regina glanced at the clock on the mantel and took a deep breath. It was nearing midnight and she had to check on Henry to make sure he was in bed and asleep before calling it a night herself.

“If she knows what is best for Henry, she will never return to this town,” Regina said and Elizabeth cocked her head to the side and nodded a little. “If you must stay, I cannot stop you, dear, but I want you gone before the morning.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Regina forced a smile at the young deputy before walking her out. She waited at the door until the deputy was in the cruiser that was parked on the street before she shut the door and locked it. Her hands were shaking as she shut off the lights and headed upstairs, and her mind continued to race with a hundred and one different thoughts.

By the time she got to the top of the stairs, she had drastically changed her mood and her thoughts. She wasn’t going to let this hang over her head like a dark cloud. She wasn’t going to let this affect her in any way or form, not any more than it already had. She was in control of her life, her son, and all those who lived in her town under her curse. Nobody, not even Emma Swan, was going to come into her life and change that.

All she had to worry about now was Henry. All she needed to do was get him to trust her again and to forget all that he had found out about the truth. It would be so much easier if she had a potion or even her magic to help him forget those things. Easier, but not exactly right either.

Regina opened Henry’s door slowly and sighed in relief to find him in bed and asleep. She walked over and picked up his comic book that lay open on his chest and she leaned over to kiss his forehead, her lips lingering just for a moment as she remembered all the times before when she would tuck him in for the night and the way he would tell her that he loved her with that smile of his that had stolen her heart ten years ago.

“I love you, my little prince,” Regina whispered. “You may not believe that I do, but you have taken such a big part of my heart as your own and I truly do love you. One day, one day I hope you realize that. We will get back to where we were before. I promise you. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

She kissed his forehead one last time and placed the comic on his bedside table. She walked out of his room and shut the door quietly behind her, fighting back the tears that had suddenly sprung to her eyes.

She hated feeling weak. It had been so very long since she had felt that weakness overtake her. She balled her hands into fists as she walked down the hall to her room, and the moment she was inside and the door shut behind her, the tears spilled out uncontrollably.

[X]

Emma gripped onto the steering wheel tightly and she didn’t let go until her knuckles turned white. The wolf hadn’t come back since it had run off into the woods, but every once in a while she could hear the howl just off in the distance, reminding her that it was still out there. Waiting.

She had been at the side of the road for nearly an hour, if not a little longer. Every time she tried to get the car to start, it failed. She knew that she couldn’t stay out there all night. It wasn’t exactly safe and Riley needed a proper bed to sleep in. With a dead phone, she didn’t have much of a choice other than to walk back into town and get some help.

“Fuck,” Emma muttered under her breath. She leaned forward, placed her forehead on the top of the steering wheel, and tried to keep herself calm and centered.

Emma grabbed her phone and the charger that sat on the dashboard before she opened the door and got out. She pulled the seat forward and leaned into the back to gently nudge Riley awake.

“Baby girl, come on, wake up,” Emma whispered. “Riles, wake up.”

“No,” Riley whined sleepily. “Tired, Mommy.”

“I know you are, but the car broke down.”

Riley rubbed at her eyes. “It did?”

“Yes,” Emma frowned. “And we can’t stay at the side of the road all night. Come on.”

“Where we go?”

“Back into town,” Emma replied.

“To see Henry?”

“No, kiddo, not to see Henry.”

“Oh.”

Emma frowned as she undid Riley’s seatbelt and lifted her into her arms. She grabbed her backpack on the backseat and slammed the door shut in frustration. She looked back up the road that led into town and then to where the wolf had been standing earlier. She shook her head, kissed Riley’s cheek and started walking quickly down the road.

She held on to Riley tightly and placed a hand on the back of Riley’s head protectively when she heard the wolf howling. It sounded far enough away, but she still worried it was still too close, and she started to pick up the pace as much as she could without breaking out into a full run.

After nearly five minutes, Emma came to a stop when she saw headlights up ahead and heading her way. She exhaled in relief as soon as she saw the lights on top and she stepped to the side of the road as the sheriff’s cruiser pulled up alongside her. The sheriff rolled down the window and looked out at her with a soft smile.

“Out for a midnight stroll?”

“No,” Emma laughed lightly. “Car trouble.”

“How far up the road?”

“Right by the sign,” Emma replied. “Do you have a phone I can borrow? My battery died and—”

“I can radio for the tow truck to come around,” he replied. “Do you want a lift into town?”

“That would be great. Know of any place we can stay tonight?”

“Sure do,” he said. “Hop in and I’ll see if I can get anyone on the radio to come tow your car back into town tonight. Any idea what is wrong with it?”

“It won’t start. It just died.”

“Ah, all right. I’d offer to take a look, but I really don’t know that much about cars,” he laughed and Emma walked around to the passenger side and got in. “It is against the law.”

“Hmm? What is?”

He motioned to Riley in her lap. “But, I guess since I am the law, I can make an exception just this once. It’s not a far drive, after all.”

“Right. Thanks.”

Emma stroked Riley’s hair as the sheriff turned the cruiser around and headed back into town. Riley had quickly fallen back asleep and Emma just wanted to find a place to stay for the night so that Riley could get the sleep she so desperately needed. Everything else could be dealt with in the morning, her car problem and the fact that her boss was expecting her to come into the office to sign a new contract.

Emma groaned quietly. Life wasn’t easy and the moment she opened the door to find her son she’d given up for adoption had just made life considerably harder and a little more complicated.

It wasn’t long before the sheriff pulled up to the bed and breakfast that was behind the diner. He came to a stop, turned off the car, and looked over at her.

“Are you sure it’s not too late or anything?” Emma asked.

“No, not really,” he replied with a shrug. “I have a room here on reserve for those nights I work late and can’t be bothered to drive home. I’ll let you stay there tonight. Granny won’t mind. The room is already paid for.”

“How much?”

He shook his head. “Don’t you worry about that.”

“No, how much for the room for a night?” Emma asked. “I don’t feel comfortable staying in a room you’ve paid for. No offense or anything, Sheriff Graham.”

“None taken,” he chuckled lightly and he pulled out a key with a large keychain from his vest pocket and handed it to her. “It’s room three upstairs. Got a nice bed and it’s own bathroom. Water runs nice and hot, most of the time.”

“How much do I owe you for the room?”

“How about you buy me breakfast at the diner in the morning and we’ll call it even.”

“All right. Thank you, Sheriff.”

Emma stroked Riley’s hair and got out of the cruiser, careful not to wake her up. She walked up the path and up the front steps of the porch and gently nudged the door open. It was dimly lit in the foyer and nobody sat behind the desk. Emma shifted Riley in her arms and headed up the stairs, finding the room easily as it was just off to the right.

She unlocked the door and walked into the room. Riley stirred in her arms as she shut the door and found the switch for the light. The room was a decent size and clean with a double bed that looked far too inviting after the long day she’d just had.

“Mommy?” Riley whispered into her neck. “We home?”

“No, baby girl, we’re not home. We’re staying here tonight,” Emma replied and she sat Riley down on the bed and knelt in front of her to take off her shoes. “Come on, let’s get ready for bed, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Emma got Riley out of her clothes and into the pajamas she had packed into the backpack for her. After making a trip to the bathroom to brush their teeth, Emma tucked Riley into the bed and went off in search of a plug to charge her phone.

Emma stripped out of her jeans and her sweater, leaving her in just the red panties and her white tank top. She crawled into bed with Riley after turning off the light and she laid there for the longest time just thinking about all that had happened that day, especially from the moment her son had knocked on her apartment door.

She wasn’t sure when she had fallen asleep, but she woke up a few hours later to the sun shining in through the windows and Riley wide awake and staring at her. It took Emma a few minutes to properly wake up and then she launched her tickle attack on Riley, the sound of her laughter filling the room and making the morning just a little brighter than it already was.

Emma showered quickly and dressed in the same clothes from the day before while Riley watched a cartoon on her phone on the bed. Once her hair was mostly dry, she pulled it back into a loose ponytail and grabbed their things, letting Riley wear the backpack as they walked out of the room and down the stairs. She found the hallway that led to the diner out front easily and was surprised at how busy it was despite that it was barely after seven in the morning.

The sheriff was seated in a booth and he looked up at her almost immediately, smiling as he waved her and Riley over. The smell of coffee, bacon, and other breakfast foods made Emma’s stomach growl and she lifted Riley up into the booth before sliding in beside her on the bench seat.

“Good morning,” the sheriff said. “Did you two sleep well?”

“Yeah,” Emma nodded. “Good morning, Sheriff. Any word on my car?”

“Just got towed about a half an hour ago. Michael said to come around in a few hours after he’s taken a look at it.”

“All right. Thanks. So,” Emma said as she grabbed the menu and opened it. “What’s good here?”

“Everything,” he chuckled. “I’m partial to the omelets. And the waffles. And the pancakes.”

“Pancakes!” Riley laughed happily at the way his accent made the word sound. “Can I have pancakes, Mommy?”

“Of course,” Emma smiled at her. “I think I’ll have the breakfast special. And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.”

“Morning, Sheriff,” the brunette waitress said as she approached their table. “Deputy,” she said with a nod to Emma as she opened her notepad. “Who is the kid?”

“We’ll have the pancakes,” Graham said as he pointed to himself and to Riley. “She’ll have the special.”

“Eggs done your usual way?”

“Uh—what?” Emma asked and the woman laughed, giving her a wink as she walked away. “Why did she—”

“You look like my deputy,” he said quietly. “It’s not surprising that you’re mistaken for her.”

“Huh,” Emma said as she shook her head. “The resemblance must be uncanny then if she thought I was your deputy.”

“Quite uncanny. Don’t be surprised if you hear that a lot today.”

“Your deputy must not be around a lot if people think I’m her,” Emma said and she reached over to pull the fork from Riley’s hand. “Don’t play with that, Riles. It’s only for eating, remember?”

“Okay.”

“Deputy Crane is around quite a lot actually,” the sheriff said with a lazy shrug. “Must be the hair.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“You don’t happen to have a sister, do you?”

“If I do, I don’t know anything about her. I’m an orphan.”

“Oh,” he frowned. “I see.”

“Why do you ask?”

He shrugged again. “You could be her twin, to be honest with you, Emma. The resemblance isn’t just uncanny. You look exactly like her.”

“What?”

“Coffee?” The brunette waitress asked as she came back and Emma nodded, pushing the mug in front of her towards the waitress. “Your food will be about five more minutes. Put a rush on it for you two, like always.”

“Thank you, Ruby,” Graham said with a smile. “You didn’t have to do that. Again.”

“It’s no bother. I know you two have to get back to the station and get some work done.”

“Right,” he said as he reached for the creamer and poured a little into his mug. “Of course. Work.”

“So,” the brunette said as she stared at Riley. “Who is the kid? I’ve never seen her around before.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” the sheriff said quickly. “Thank you for the coffee, Ruby.”

Emma reached for the creamer and poured some into her mug before reaching for the sugar. She was all too aware of the eyes that were on her and when she looked around, the rest of the patrons in the diner quickly looked away.

It wasn’t the fact that people were staring that bothered her; it was what the sheriff had said and the waitress having mistaken her for someone else. It was odd, beyond odd, but ever since she’d entered the town of Storybrooke, she had a feeling that there was more than what met the eye about the whole damn place. Odd didn’t even begin to describe it, any of it, especially not the feeling she had stirring deep in her gut, a feeling she was trying to ignore and not read into too much. Normally she relied on her instincts, but those very instincts that had gotten her that far in life felt different and they had since the moment she had passed the sign the night before with Henry in the car.

The waitress never said a word when she came back with their food a few minute later. Emma ate the bacon and the toast quickly, her stomach growling still as she ate. The eggs were sunny-side up, not her favorite, but eventually, she dove into them too, pausing only to make sure Riley was eating her pancakes and that they were cut up small enough for her to chew with ease.

The sheriff offered her a ride over to the Marine Garage where her car had been towed, but Emma declined, deciding that he had already done more than enough for her and Riley. She tried to give him the key back to his room, but he told her to hold on to it just in case she needed to stay another night or two. She paid for breakfast, as promised, and she headed out of the diner with Riley’s hand in hers, the stares following them on the way out and continuing with the people she passed by on the street.

She truly didn’t want to stay there any longer than she had to. She had a life to get back to in Boston, after all. She found the garage just down the street rather easily as the town was small and most of the shops and businesses were on the main street that went through the center of town.

“Hello?” Emma called out as she walked into the bay of the garage, her beloved yellow Bug hoisted up a few feet in the air. “Hello? Anyone here?”

She turned when she heard a door open and a man in blue coveralls covered in grease and other stains stepped out. He wiped his hands on a red handkerchief and a small, tight smile curled over his lips as he approached her.

“Deputy Crane, how can I help you?”

“I’m not—” Emma stopped herself and shook her head. “I’m here about the car,” she said as she hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “Do you know what’s wrong with it?”

“Not yet. Suspect it may need a new battery. Alternator possibly as well. I don’t have the spare parts on hand.”

“So, you can’t fix it?”

“Didn’t say that,” he replied. “It’ll take a while. A week maybe. Got to order the parts soon as I figure out what’s wrong with it.”

“I can’t stay for a week.”

He looked at her in confusion. “I see,” he said slowly and he glanced down at Riley who was holding on to Emma’s hand tightly. “Who is this?”

“I’m Riley,” she said as she stared up at the man.

“Michael,” he said with a nod. “Beth, where did you get the car? You usually drive your Harley around when you aren’t working. Get tired of the bike?”

“Huh?”

“Mommy doesn’t ride a bike,” Riley said pointedly.

“Is that so?” Michael asked and he stared at Emma, that same confusion clouding his eyes once again. “I didn’t know you had a daughter, Beth.”

“Can I—I come back later?” Emma asked. “To check in and see what’s wrong with the car once you find out?”

“Sure. I’m waiting on Billy to come in for his shift. He knows a bit more about foreign cars than I do. You should’ve talked to him before you picked that piece of junk up. He would’ve told you not to spend your money on that. It’s gonna cost quite a bit to fix ‘er up.”

“How much?”

“Hard guess? A few thousand. I’ll know more later today. No worries, Deputy, I won’t charge you too much for labor this time around. I still owe you for chasing away those damn kids who used to break in here and steal stuff all the time.”

Emma tugged on Riley’s hand before she turned and walked out of the garage bay and to the sidewalk. For the second time that morning she had been mistaken for someone else, Deputy Crane, Elizabeth. It confused her to no end why two people had already mistaken her as the other woman, but what confused her even more so was what the sheriff had told her over breakfast.

_You could be her twin, to be honest with you, Emma. The resemblance isn’t just uncanny. You look exactly like her._

Emma wasn’t sure how that was possible unless she truly did have a sister she didn’t know about, one that ended up in the same town as her son had when the mayor had adopted him ten years ago. If that was the case, why hadn’t Henry said anything to her or his adoptive mother? Her confusion continued to mount, weighing her down with more questions than answers.

Not knowing where to go to pass the time, Emma spotted the sheriff as he got out of his cruiser and headed into the small station. Before she could cross the street, she came to a dead stop and gripped on to Riley’s hand a little tighter.

There, on the street barely fifty feet away, was a woman who did very much look like her mirror image, her twin. She smiled and waved at a few people as she walked past and she headed into the station without so much a glance at Emma standing across the street.

“Mommy, she looks like you!” Riley said in amazement. “Why does she look like you, Mommy?”

“Don’t know, baby girl,” Emma said under her breath. “But I sure as hell am going to find out,” she said to herself quietly and she took a few deep breaths before crossing the street. She walked into the sheriff’s station with determination to find some answers even if she wasn’t entirely ready to hear any of them.

The front hallway was quiet and dimly lit, but she could hear voices coming from the back. She walked with Riley at her side down the hall and motioned for Riley to stay quiet as the voices became a little clearer.

“So, the weirdest thing happened when I went for breakfast. Ruby told me I’d already been in and that she was surprised I was still hungry after having the breakfast special.”

Emma’s eyes went wide as the woman’s voice sounded almost exactly like her own. Riley looked up at her curiously and she just shook her head.

“Why would Ruby say that, Graham?”

“I don’t know, Beth,” the sheriff replied. “Maybe she just got a little confused this morning. She must have had a late night last night at the Rabbit Hole. You know how she is when she’s out partying, especially the day after.”

The woman laughed. “If you say so,” she said and Emma felt a chill run through her body. “First Ruby, now you.”

“Now me what?”

“You’re acting weird. Regina was acting weird last night too when she called me back over. She had me out all night in front of her house keeping watch.”

“For what?”

“She didn’t say too much, but I knew it was in case _she_ came back. Didn’t tell me who I was watching out for either. Like I said, weird, right?”

“She’d had a few drinks before Henry returned last night,” the sheriff said. “She must have had a few more after I’d left.”

“Yeah, I guess. Look, I’m going to run out and get some coffee. Do you want anything?”

“I’m good.”

Emma froze, unable to move from the spot as she heard footsteps quickly heading her way. Riley tried to pull her hand free, but she held on. Her heart was racing as the woman who was her doppelgänger came to a sudden stop in front of her. The two just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. It felt surreal, much like looking into the mirror but not.

“What?” The other woman laughed as she looked at Emma. “Who are you?”

“Who are you?” Emma echoed.

“I asked you first,” she said and Emma blanked, words not forming nor coming out. Riley tugged on her hand and Emma looked down at her daughter.

“Who is that, Mommy?”

“I’m Beth,” the woman said and she gave Riley a little wave before turning her attention back to Emma. “Who _are_ you?”

“Emma,” she replied. “I—I—”

“You look like Mommy,” Riley said and she tugged on Emma’s hand again. “She looks like you, Mommy.”

“Yeah, I—”

“Weird,” Beth said as she stood there and stared. “How do you look like me? How do I look like you?”

“I don’t know.”

They both turned as the front door opened and none other than Regina Mills strolled in. She faltered when she saw the two women standing at the end of the hallway, but she didn’t stop until she stood just a few feet in front of them, her eyes flicking between Emma and Beth quickly.

“Deputy Crane,” she said as she looked directly at Beth. “Henry has gone missing.”

“Again?” Emma asked and she was taken back by the glare that Regina Mills shot her way.

“Don’t worry, Madam Mayor,” Beth said. “I’ll find him. I have an idea of where he could be.”

“Thank you.”

Beth quickly walked away and Emma stood in front of Regina Mills, neither saying a word, just staring. When Riley tugged on her hand yet again, Emma looked down at her daughter and hated seeing the confused look on her face.

“Mommy, why did that lady look like you?”

“I dunno, kiddo,” Emma sighed. “Maybe she’s my long-lost evil twin or something.”

It drew a giggle out of Riley and a scoff from the woman in front of her. Emma shrugged and offered the woman a crooked smile.

“Entirely possible, right?”

“If you say so, Miss Swan,” she said coldly. “Weren’t you leaving town last night?”

“That was the plan,” Emma replied. “Ran into some car trouble, that’s all. I’ll be out of your hair in no time, ma’am.”

“Good. See that you are. As soon as remotely possible. I don’t want Henry getting confused with you here.”

“As if he isn’t already confused enough as it is, with me looking exactly like _her_.”

Regina clenched her jaw, but she said not a word as she turned on her heel and walked into the back room. “Sheriff Graham, Henry has gone missing again. Deputy Crane is out there looking for him and I suggest you do the same.”

Emma looked down at Riley and sighed heavily. A part of her wanted nothing to do with this, but another part of her made her want to go look for him too. And maybe give him a little talk about running away while she was at it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I went so long without an update! Life got a little busy. Hope you guys enjoy this one!

Henry shivered as the wind picked up and he leaned forward, his legs hanging off the edge, and sighed. He had gotten up long before his mother woke, dressed and had breakfast, and he walked out the door with full intent and purpose to leave for good that time.

But he didn’t. He couldn’t. Where would he go? Not even his real mom wanted him. He felt more alone than he ever had and he hated it. Nobody wanted him, nobody loved him, not the way that he needed to be loved and wanted.

“Henry?”

He looked up as Beth got out of the cruiser. He frowned deeply as she walked over and joined him in the castle. Beth sighed as she sat down beside him and nudged him in the shoulder with her own.

“What are you doing here?”

“Just wanted to get away,” he shrugged. “How did you know I was here?”

“Your mom came to the station worried about you. Said you went missing. Again. What’s really going on, Hen?”

“She didn’t want me either,” he muttered as the tears sprang to his eyes, tears he’d been fighting off ever since Emma had dropped him off the night before. “She doesn’t want me, Beth.”

“Oh, Henry,” Beth frowned and she slung an arm around his shoulders. “You already have a mom who loves you. Don’t you know that?”

“She’s evil, Beth. Evil can’t love.”

“She’s not evil,” Beth said quietly. “Henry, you know she loves you so very much. She might not always show it, but she does. You know that, right?”

“I guess so.”

“You gotta stop running away too,” Beth continued and he shrugged her arm away. “Seriously, Hen. You got to stop doing this. What if something actually happens to you and nobody knows where you are until it’s too late?”

Henry frowned. He knew that Beth was right, but he didn’t want to believe her, not entirely. He turned to look at her and he really looked at her, looking for all the same ways that she looked exactly like Emma. He still couldn’t figure out why they looked nearly identical and it would bother him until he figured it all out too.

He had known Beth his whole life and she knew she’d grown up in Storybrooke, just like he had, and the more he learned about the curse and from observing everyone in town, the more he realized that she was unaffected by the curse just as he was. What he wanted to know was why. He doubted that she even knew herself and he wasn’t so sure he could trust her with everything he did know so far.

“Come on, let me take you to school,” Beth said and he shook his head no. “Why not?”

“I don’t want to.”

“You’re ten, Henry. You need to be in school.”

“Whatever, Beth.”

“Hey, don’t whatever me, Hen,” Beth laughed lightly. “Come on, let me take you to school, okay?”

“Straight to school? You’re not going to take me to see my mom?”

“Straight to school, I promise, but I am going to have to call her and let her know I found you. Again.”

“Beth?”

“Yeah?”

Henry looked at her for a moment and the scar on her chin. He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Never mind.”

“Hey,” Beth said as she nudged him again. “Talk to me, Hen. What’s really going on?”

“How did you get that scar?” Henry asked distractedly.

“I was a bit younger than you. Fell off my bike just up there actually and had to get ten stitches.”

“Ten?”

“Yeah,” she chuckled lightly. “Dr. Whale stitched me up real good. Can barely see it these days, huh?” She paused as Henry raised an eyebrow and she laughed. She reached out to tussle his hair and jumped off the platform. “Come on, if we leave now, you won’t have missed much at all.”

Henry frowned. He knew he should’ve gone somewhere else, somewhere not even Beth would know to look to find him, but there weren’t many places he could go in Storybrooke where he felt comfortable or where he’d be left alone. Especially not on a school day.

He followed the deputy to the cruiser, trying to lag behind to drag it out as long as he could, but Beth just snapped her fingers and gave him a look that reminded him far too much of his mother’s stern look when he wasn’t doing as he was told.

He was just growing more curious by the minute. What else was going on in that town that he didn’t know of yet? What other secrets did his mother, the Evil Queen, have?

Henry didn’t say a word as the deputy drove him to school, grateful she dropped him off in front and only waited until he was barely in the front doors before she sped off. Henry quickly glanced around and with no teachers in sight he headed off, but not back to his castle. No, his curiosity was getting to the better of him. He was going to follow the deputy and he had a feeling he knew exactly where she was going.

He took a shortcut to the town hall and slipped into the back entrance after he punched in the code by the door. He’d snuck in many times, but that had been long before he knew who his mother really, truly was. He used to like to come surprise her on those long afternoons she was stuck in her office and forgot he was supposed to meet with her after his appointment with Dr. Hopper so that they could go home together.

Henry made his way to the supply closet near his mother’s office, careful to be quick and stay out of sight as her door was open and he could hear her typing away on her laptop. He waited for a few minutes, listening, and then he heard footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hall. In the outer office, he heard the door shut and then the footsteps passed by the closet.

“Madam Mayor?” Beth said as she knocked on the door.

“Yes?”

“Henry is safe and sound,” Beth said. “I just dropped him off at school and let Sheriff Graham know as well.”

“Thank you, Deputy Crane.”

“Regina?” Beth asked and Henry winced as he had never heard her call his mother by her first name. “Can I talk to you about something? I won’t take much of your time, there is just something that I need to know before I leave.”

“Yes? What is it?”

Henry strained to listen and pressed his ear against the door. He frowned and took a risk and opened the door just a crack. He held his breath and waited.

“What is it, Elizabeth?”

“That woman, I saw her at the station this morning,” Beth said tentatively. “Who is she, Regina?”

“She is none of your concern.”

“Do you think I’m stupid?”

“You best watch your tone with me.”

“No,” Beth snapped. “Tell me the truth, Regina, because I’m starting to put the pieces together and I don’t like not knowing the answers. The real ones, not the bullshit that I’ve been fed my whole life, especially the things you’ve told me.”

Silence. That was never a good thing, especially not with his mother, and especially not with the way that Beth had just spoken to her. Henry exhaled sharply and wished the closet was just a little closer so that he could see them too.

“Tell me who she really is, Regina.”

“She’s your sister,” Regina finally replied after a very long pause. “She’s your twin sister, Elizabeth.”

“But, my parents, they never had—”

“They aren’t your real parents, Elizabeth. Surely you have thought of that from time to time. You look nothing like either of them and you are _nothing_ like them.”

“Who are my real parents, Regina?”

“That, my dear, is something I cannot tell you. Now, if you’ll kindly leave my office, I have a meeting in ten minutes to prepare for. End of discussion.”

Henry frowned. He strained to listen as their voices dropped to a whisper. He nudged the door open a little bit to look and see, no longer caring if he was caught eavesdropping when he should’ve been at school.

What he saw was not what he expected to see. Just inside his mother’s office, she and the deputy were standing face to face, both with a challenging look in their eyes from what he could see. He felt all the blood drain from his face as he watched his mother take a step forward and instead of a slap, like he thought was coming, his mother grabbed a hold of the deputy’s face and kissed her hard.

It didn’t last long, but even just a second was too long for Henry to watch. Yet, he couldn’t take his eyes away, horrified at the sight of his mother kissing the deputy. It was his mother who pulled back first and with a snarl, she pointed to the door.

“Leave, Miss Crane. You know your place with me, dear, as I just reminded you. If you so much as bring this up again, the consequences will be quite severe.”

“What are you going to do, your majesty? Are you going to tie me up? Again? Punish me? You know how I like it when you—”

“Leave,” Regina hissed. “Now.”

“Yes, ma’am. Do you want me to come around later?”

Henry backed into the closet with a gasp of surprise and shock, so much that he backed up a little too far and bumped into the shelves on the wall. A whole array of different office supplies crashed and clattered to the floor and he held his breath as he heard rapid footsteps quickly approaching the closet.

“Henry?” Regina gasped as she opened the door. “What are you doing here?”

“I—”

“Come with me,” she said quickly and he allowed her to pull him out of the closet. “I am taking you to school myself,” she said and she cast a glance back at the deputy that was still standing in her office. “And I will pick you up as soon as the bell rings this afternoon. You are grounded, young man.”

“For how long?”

“Indefinitely.”

[X]

Regina was in a panic. After she had dropped Henry off at school and left explicit instructions with the principal not to let Henry out of sight for the rest of the day, she didn’t return to her office. Instead, she rescheduled her meeting with Mr. Gold for the next morning and headed straight for the cemetery to retreat to her vault.

In her panic, she had nearly ripped her vault apart, looking endlessly for the memory potion she knew was still down there. The few vials that had been brought along with the curse were cracked, the potion long ago evaporated, but she knew there was at least one more hidden amongst all of her things she didn’t dare keep anywhere else.

She reeled back to the moment she had found Henry hiding in the supply closet at the town hall. How much had he heard? How much had he seen? He hadn’t said a word to her on the quick drive to the school. He barely even looked at her. Regina wasn’t sure what was more unbearable to her, knowing her son thought she didn’t love him or knowing that he truly hated her to treat her the way he had been.

She hadn’t even bothered to explain anything to him. How could she explain the conversation between her and Elizabeth? How could she explain the kiss she’d given the younger woman to remind her of her place when she started to ask questions that Regina had been fearing for a long time?

With a low growl, Regina kicked at some of the old clothing she’d pulled out of the trunks. She reached down to grab an old dress, one she’d worn in the Enchanted Forest a long, long time ago. It was soft still to the touch, and she could smell the scent that was so distinct to her former home. For the first time since she cast the curse, she missed home, her real home, but not the memories and the life she had there that came with it.

All of her memories weren’t entirely bad, though her childhood had been less than ideal with her mother controlling every aspect of her life. She threw the blue velvet dress into the trunk and began to pick up the rest. She wondered for the first time why she even bothered to bring those things with her. They were trite with memories of who she used to be, a woman she barely recognized except on days when she thirsted for power, for control.

Those were days she felt like she was slipping and she would’ve if it hadn’t been for Henry. Now he didn’t love her, not the way he used to, and he saw her as the Evil Queen, the woman she had been so long ago. It cut like a hot knife slicing through butter. It didn’t just hurt her heart it hurt her very soul.

After she picked up everything off the floor, she walked to the panel that led to the secret room where she kept her mother’s things. While there wasn’t much, she still had some hope that her mother’s spell book would still be right where she’d left it all those years ago, locked in a small wardrobe along with some of her mother’s most precious things.

Regina hadn’t been inside that room in her vault since before she adopted Henry. It took a while to look through her mother’s things, checking all the secret compartments inside the small wardrobe and then the trunk that held her mother’s spell book. Inside the trunk there was a hidden false bottom and she emptied the contents of the trunk before pulling the false bottom out.

With a grin curling over her lips, she pulled the old leather-bound book out. She closed the lid of the trunk and sat down. She exhaled slowly as she smoothed her hands over the leather and opened the book. Back in the old world, it took a spell and blood magic to open it, but there in Storybrooke, it was just another book filled with spells and formulas for a whole host of different potions and ailments.

She flipped through the fragile pages quickly until she landed on the page she didn’t realize she was looking for in the first place. There, written plainly on a single page, were the very ingredients needed for the memory spell she’d been searching for before. As she read through the long list, she realized she had everything she’d need, though she wasn’t entirely positive some of the things were still useable after twenty-eight years, but she had to try.

The question was, who did she use the potion on? Elizabeth Crane? Her own son? Emma Swan? Would she have enough for the three of them? Maybe even Graham too since he’d seen Emma Swan the night before when she’d dropped Henry off.

With a groan, Regina shut the book and stared at the door that led into the room. She rolled her neck and stood up and tucked the book under her arm. She strolled out of the room and shut the door, a purpose in her step as she walked over to the shelf that held over four dozen different types of ingredients. Whether they were still good or not, she had to try. Not trying would just make her problems even worse and life, as she knew it, would continue to crumble down around her. She had to do _something_ , and she was turning to what had always worked in her past life as using magic was out of the question when magic simply did not exist in this world.

[X]

Exploring the town of Storybrooke turned out to be rather boring as Emma quickly found out after walking the streets with Riley in hopes to pass some time before she headed back to the Marine Garage to find out how much it was going to cost her to fix her car.

Riley sure didn’t mind exploring, even if the town didn’t have much to explore at all. They went into every shop they passed, and Emma had to tell Riley every time she saw something she wanted that they couldn’t buy it. By the time noon rolled around, Emma’s stomach growled as if on cue, and Riley begged her to go for ice cream instead of having a decent, nutritious lunch—at least as much as could be offered at the only diner in the entire town.

“Back again,” the brunette waitress said with a smile when Emma and Riley walked into Granny’s Diner just after twelve. “Your usual, Beth?”

“I—uh, okay,” Emma replied, playing along with the mistaken identity of the town’s only deputy. “What do you want, Riles?”

“Macaroni!”

“Do you have—”

“Of course we do,” the woman replied. “Take a seat. I’ll put your order in. Chocolate milk for this cutie-pie?”

“Please, Mommy?” Riley asked with big eyes and a sugary-sweet smile that Emma found it always impossible to say no to. “I want chocolate milk!”

“A small glass,” Emma said to the waitress. “I’ll just have some water.”

“Water?” The woman looked at her, confusion marring her face. “You sure, Beth?”

“Just water is fine.”

Emma led Riley over to the same booth they’d had breakfast with the sheriff in, only this time she let Riley sit on the opposite side on her own. The diner didn’t have any booster seats, which she found odd, but she didn’t question it. Riley was more than capable of eating at a high table without much help at all.

Emma looked around at the people sitting at the other tables and couldn’t help but recognize a lot of them from earlier and sitting in the same seats too. She knew she shouldn’t find it too odd since the few small towns she’d lived in over the years had been the same, but after what Henry had tried to tell her the night before—about everyone being a character from the stories in his fairytale book, Emma had a hard time trying to think of it as anything but normal.

Ever since she’d run into the woman who looked exactly like her at the station, her mind had been filled with unanswered questions. Nothing about the last less than eighteen hours made any sense.

She was tired. Beyond tired. All she wanted was to get out of that town and go home.

Emma kept to herself during lunch and she helped Riley eat her macaroni when she started spilling too much. The stares in the diner didn’t stop. Everyone that looked at her saw the other woman, the deputy, despite the fact that Emma’s hair was longer and she didn’t have the scar on her chin. The scar itself should’ve been a dead giveaway to those who mistaken her as the deputy, but the people who had hadn’t batted an eye until they noticed Riley with her.

“Mommy?” Riley asked quietly and Emma turned to look at her, offering her a small smile. “Can I have some more?”

“More what, Riles?”

“Milk!”

“When that waitress comes back, you can ask, okay?”

“Okay,” Riley beamed.

Emma picked at her grilled cheese sandwich. It was delicious, but she wasn’t hungry. The brunette waitress, Ruby, came over to the table and after Riley asked her for some more chocolate milk, she turned to Emma with a small, forced smile.

“You have a call,” she said and she pointed over to the phone on the counter. “Billy.”

“Huh?”

“From the Marine Garage?” Ruby said and she shook her head. “Said he’s calling about your car? I didn’t know you had a car, Beth.”

Emma frowned and glanced over at Riley. “Do you mind watching her for a few minutes?”

“Of course not,” Ruby replied and she sat down beside Riley and gave her tummy a little tickle. “What is your name, princess?”

“Riley!”

“My name is Ruby,” she said and she tickled Riley’s tummy once again as Emma slipped out of the booth and walked over to the old phone that sat beside the register.

The conversation with the mechanic was a short one. It was going to cost her at least three thousand to fix her car. She told him she’d be around in an hour once she got a money order at the bank and to go ahead with fixing the problem. She headed back to the table and sat down, smiling as Riley was giggling at something that the waitress had said to her.

After Riley had her second glass of chocolate milk and Emma managed to put down the rest of her grilled cheese sandwich, she paid the bill and hoisted Riley onto her back. They were laughing as Riley pretended that she was a horse and she went along with it, neighing and galloping down the street towards the small bank near the town hall.

Like most businesses in that town, it wasn’t busy when she walked in. Aside from a lone security guard that was well into his eighties, there were just two tellers working and one customer waiting. Emma set Riley down on the floor and motioned for her to go sit in the big leather chairs by the window to wait for her.

“Good afternoon, Deputy Crane,” the woman behind the counter said as Emma walked up. “What can I do for you today? It’s not payday, is it?”

“Uh—”

“You usually don’t come until the end of the month,” the woman said slowly. “On payday.”

“Right, uh, the thing is—”

“Not that it’s any of my business, of course,” she continued and she shook her head, her short brown hair swishing noisily. “So, what can I do for you today, Deputy? Looking to make a deposit or withdrawal?”

“I need a money order,” Emma said and she swallowed thickly. How easy would it be for her to pass herself off as the deputy and get away with it? If this were even five years ago, she would’ve taken full advantage of that fact. “I’m not Deputy Crane, actually,” Emma said as she pulled her wallet out of the back pocket of her jeans. “I’m her sister.”

“I didn’t know she had a sister!”

“I—she was adopted and I—” Emma faltered. “Wasn’t.”

The woman barely looked twice as she took Emma’s bankcard and ran it through the system. After typing away on the very old computer she had, she handed the card back to her with a bright smile. “How much would you like the money order to be, dear?”

“Three thousand,” Emma replied. “Thanks.”

“All right, dear, I’ll be right back.”

Emma sighed as she leaned against the counter and looked around the small, old bank. It was definitely dated, she noticed, but what stuck out the most was the fact that everything smelled _new_. With a shrug, she turned her attention to Riley, watching her as Riley sat on the big, oversized leather chair and babbled to herself happily.

She smiled and waved at Riley before turning back to the teller as she came back to the counter with her money order. After Emma signed for it, she folded it, tucked it neatly into her wallet, and walked over to Riley. She picked her up and swung her around onto her back, both of them laughing as Emma strolled out of the bank and ran straight into an older man with a cane that had been walking down the street.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Emma said as she tried to stop the old man from tumbling to the ground. “I’m really sorry, sir.”

“Do watch where you’re going, dearie.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.”

“Clearly,” he said slowly as he stared at her. “Deputy.”

“Oh, I’m not—”

“Shouldn’t you be working?”

“I—”

“And who is this little girl, hmm?” He asked and Emma felt Riley tighten her grip around her neck. “Well?”

“I’m not Deputy Crane,” Emma said, her voice a little shakier than she would’ve liked it to be, but the man gave her the creeps and there was just something about him that made him seem off. “My name is Emma Swan and this is my daughter. Again, I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going and I didn’t mean to run into you.”

“Emma, hmm?” The man said with a sneer. “I see. And are you staying in Storybrooke for long?”

“Just as long as it takes for my car to get fixed.”

“I see. Do enjoy your stay in the meantime, dearie, and do try to be more aware of your surroundings.”

Emma just nodded and watched as he walked away, crossing the street and walking down until he disappeared into the pawnshop. Emma sighed and looked around the street and when she saw the sign for the Marine Garage, she headed down that way.

Emma’s car was still hoisted up in the bay of the garage when she walked up and both men were standing off to the side, quietly talking amongst themselves. She stopped short when she saw the deputy standing near them.

“Hey!” The deputy said as she waved at Emma and Riley.

“Hi,” Emma replied.

“Nice car,” she laughed lightly. “Needs a bit of work.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Emma shrugged. “What are you doing here?”

“Funny that you ask, but Billy here thought I was you, or actually he thought you were me. Which one was it again, man?”

The younger man shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t even know anymore actually, Deputy. I’m just as confused as I was before when Michael told me you wanted this car fixed. I thought I talked to you on the phone earlier,” he said as he pointed at the deputy. “Was it you I talked to?”

“Nope, wasn’t me,” she replied and she looked at Emma.

“That was me,” Emma sighed and she let Riley down onto her feet and took her hand in hers. “Three thousand, right?”

“Yeah,” Michael nodded and the deputy shook her head.

“What?” Emma asked.

“It’s not going to cost you that much,” she laughed. “They always overcharge for their services around here. Don’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, Tillman, you tried to charge me for parts and labor the last time I brought the Harley in almost three times as much as it cost me the last time I brought it in for maintenance. How much is it really going to cost to fix it?”

“Twenty-two hundred,” Michael muttered under his breath with a roll of his eyes.

Emma frowned. The money order was for three grand. This meant a trip back to the bank or hope to hell this man and his mechanic had the eight-hundred to pay her back for the money order, and she really didn’t feel comfortable walking around with that kind of money in her pocket, small town or not. Her frown deepened and Beth just stared at her for a moment before shaking her head.

“Here,” Beth said as she pulled out her wallet, similar to Emma’s and kept in the same right back pocket of her jeans. “Put it on my card.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Emma interjected.

“You can pay me back,” she shrugged as if it meant nothing to her to pay for a complete stranger’s car to be fixed even if that stranger looked identical to her. “No rush, of course,” Beth smiled as Michael took her credit card into the office and Billy got under the Bug to start the work.

“I’ll pay you before I leave town.”

“Sure, but I only have one condition,” Beth said and Emma swallowed thickly. “Come back to my place for a coffee and we can talk?”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it, I promise. Come on, aren’t you curious?”

“About what?”

Beth laughed and slung an arm over Emma’s shoulders and shook her head. “It’s like looking into a mirror image and you’re not curious about anything?”

“We’re related,” Emma deadpanned. “Nothing to be curious about if you ask me.”

“Now I know that’s not true,” she replied. “We’re not just related, Emma, we’re sisters. Twin sisters.”

“Right.”

“Found out my parents aren’t really my parents today, funny, isn’t it? Because my whole life I was never told otherwise and until I saw you at the station this morning, I didn’t even know I had a twin sister,” Beth said and she paused to look down at Riley. “Or a niece, for that matter, or the fact that Henry Mills is my nephew,” she shrugged. “Come on, aren’t you curious, Emma? I know if I were you, I’d definitely want some answers before I skipped out of town.”

“You’re not me. You have a family. I never did. The only family I have is my daughter,” Emma said lowly. “Sure, I’m curious, but that doesn’t mean I want to stick around and start playing happy little family with you. Honestly, it feels like this is nothing but a bad dream and I—”

“And you’re waiting to wake up to find out it was all just a dream after all, huh?” Beth finished for her. “Trust me, I know the feeling. So, coffee at my place and we’ll talk?”

“I guess,” Emma shrugged. What’s the worst that could happen? She could finally get a few answers she’d been looking for her whole entire life about her real family, and at the very at least get to know about the twin sister she never knew even existed. “How far is your place?”

“Not far,” she replied and when Michael came out to return her card and give her the receipt, she turned to Emma with a bright, wide smile. “Come on, we’ll walk. It’s just a block away. My roommate won’t be home since she works over at the elementary school. Which, you know, is a good thing because I don’t think she could handle two of us. She can barely handle me and that’s on a good day.”

Emma just lifted and eyebrow and followed Beth down to the street. Riley was just watching both of them in absolute amazement, likely trying to make sense of how there was another person in the world that looked almost exactly like her own mother. That or she was just amazed that there were two of them, Emma wasn’t sure and she didn’t want to ask. Thing were already considerably confusing for Riley already.

The walk to the loft apartment where Beth lived didn’t take them too long at all, barely even five minutes, and as soon as Beth led the way inside, Emma had this very odd feeling of familiarity and she wasn’t sure why. She followed Beth to the small kitchen and sat Riley down on the stool at the counter.

“Crap, we’re out of coffee. Do you drink tea?”

“Got anything else?”

“Vodka? Mary Margaret always keeps a bottle stashed around here,” Beth shrugged. “I’m not a fan.”

“Of vodka?”

She laughed. “No. I don’t drink. Well, that’s not entirely true. I do drink. Cider, that is.”

“Let me guess, the mayor’s? The best apple cider you’ve ever tasted?”

“So, you’ve had a taste then?” Beth asked with a slight wink and Emma slowly nodded her head. “Well?”

“It was…strong.”

“But good, right?” Beth asked and she shook her head. “Is water okay for you then? What about the kid?”

“I’m Riley,” Riley said quietly. “The other lady called me a princess.”

“And a princess you are indeed,” Beth chuckled. “What would you like, sweetie?” When Riley didn’t answer, she turned to Emma. “Milk is fine, right?”

“Yeah, milk is fine. For both of us.”

“What about hot cocoa?” Beth asked. “I like mine with whipped cream and—”

“Cinnamon on top,” Emma finished. “So do I.”

“I never had it until Mary Margaret made it for me one night and then I was hooked. Can’t drink it any other way.”

Emma smiled. “Uh, sure hot cocoa is fine. If you don’t mind?”

“I invited you up for coffee without realizing we didn’t have any. I haven’t been home yet today. Worked a night shift and slept for a few hours at the station before I was on my way home and ran into Billy. I tell you, the poor guy is so confused about what is going on.”

“I can imagine.”

“You’re taking this well.”

“So are you.”

Beth laughed and shook her head before pulling down a ceramic container off a shelf. “Honestly, with everything I’ve seen in this town—hey, can she have some cocoa too or is she too young for that?”

“I’m four!” Riley pouted. “Me and Mommy have hot cocoa all the time!”

“Is that right?” Beth smiled at her. “Okay. Do you like it with whipped cream and cinnamon too?”

“No,” Riley replied with a scrunched face. “Lots of marshmallows!”

Beth looked to Emma and she just nodded. “She’s never liked it with cinnamon and said the whipped cream always tastes funny. Sometimes I wonder if she’s really my kid.”

“She definitely looks just like you. Is her father the same man as Hen—”

“No.”

It was a good thing Beth took the hint real fast before Riley caught on. It was just one more thing on top of everything else she didn’t want to have to try and explain to Riley when all the questions started. Emma just stared at Riley for a moment and wondered just how she was going to explain everything to her in a way her young mind would understand.

Once Beth had the kettle on with milk inside of it, she placed three mugs on the counter and filled each one with the flaked chocolate she was using to make the cocoa. She even let Riley have a little dusting of it on her fingers and Emma watched as Riley licked the chocolate off in delight and immediately demanded more. After the kettle had nearly come to a boil, she poured the warm milk into the mugs and motioned for Emma to sit Riley down at the coffee table so it’d be easier for her to drink it on her own.

It was also an easier way for them to talk without a curious four-year-old listening in. Beth turned on the little TV and found an age-appropriate show for Riley to watch and she joined Emma back in the kitchen a moment later.

“So, you didn’t know you were adopted until this morning?” Emma asked as she stuck a finger in the whipped cream and licked it off. “How do you go twenty-eight years without knowing that you are adopted?”

“You tell me,” Beth laughed bitterly. “I don’t think I’d ever found out if we hadn’t run into each other. I spoke to my parents about it, but they’ve been having memory issues for years so they couldn’t give me any answers.”

“Who told you?”

“Regina.”

“How does she know that you’re adopted?” Emma asked and she shook her head. “What, just because she is the mayor, does that mean she has her hands in everything?”

“Just about, but then again I’ve known Regina my whole life pretty much. I don’t know how she knows, she wouldn’t tell me, but I guess my parents must have said something before they adopted me considering they don’t remember anything now,” Beth said and she paused to sip her cocoa. “I stopped by Regina’s office after I found Henry and dropped him off at school. That’s when she told me and surprise, surprise, the kid had followed me there and heard everything.”

“He did?” Emma frowned. “What happened?”

“Regina was pissed as hell, of course she was. She’s kept a lot of things from him over the years. She’s a private person and she doesn’t like it when people know her business.”

“I’m sure she’d just love to know what you’re telling me now, huh?”

They both laughed and Beth’s laughter faded first. The look she had on her face was one that Emma recognized all too well. It was the look of not knowing what to do next, no matter how small or big the situation truly was. It was also the look of knowing there was a solution and it wasn’t one that’d be picked first of all the ways things could be resolved.

There was something more and Emma could sense it, but she wasn’t one to invest herself in other people’s problems, not even when it came to someone who was clearly her long-lost twin. She glanced into her mug of cocoa and frowned deeply. It was hard for her to come to terms with everything that was happening and everything that had happened in the last day as it was. She turned her attention to Riley. She watched her carefully try to sip from her mug without spilling and she smiled at how attentive her daughter was in that moment. Suddenly, she turned her attention back to the woman in front of her, her mirror image and yet a stranger all the same. She wasn’t the only one trying to deal with everything that had unfolded in the last less than twenty-four hours after all.

“Can’t be easy finding out your whole life is a lie.”

“No,” Beth said softly. “It’s really not.”

“You know, for a long time I’ve always wanted to find my real family, my real parents. I’ve always wondered if I was the only one or if I had a brother, a sister. Here you stand,” Emma said and she swallowed thickly. “Here you stand, my sister, yet I’m still having a real hard time trying to believe it.”

“You and me both,” Beth replied. “Not once in my life have I questioned much, but this?” She paused to laugh and then took a sip of her cocoa, laughing once more a second later. “This is something that I don’t know what to think.”

Emma stared at her and watched her, eyes so familiar that it was as if she were looking into a mirror and seeing herself. They were not the same person, she knew that, but the similarities were too much not to notice and compare. To analyze. They were not the same person and she continued to tell herself that as they stared at one another, but there was a pull deep inside of her and that pull was one that wanted to seek out the truth. All of it.

“What do we do now?” Emma asked. “Because I really don’t know anymore.”

“Me neither,” Beth replied. “What do you want to do, Emma? What do you think _we_ should do?”

“Find some answers,” she said after a moment. “Answers that I know aren’t going to be easy to come by.”

“So, will you stay in Storybrooke then? To find those answers we both seek? If not stay, will you keep in touch?”

Emma took a sip of her cocoa before she gave Beth a subtle nod. “Yes. I will. Just as long as you help me find the answers we both need right now.”

“Deal.”


	8. Chapter 8

A chill ran down Regina’s spine as she left her vault and returned to her car. Change was in the air and she could not only feel it, but she could _taste_ it too.

Change was not something she dealt with readily or easily. For the last twenty-eight years of her life under the curse, change was not something that existed. Change was the bane of her existence for so long she wasn’t sure how to deal or even accept it. Her heart hurt, it hurt deeper than it had in longer than she cared to admit, but it hurt thoroughly and for the first time in her life, she had not a single damn clue on how to fix it, how to fix anything.

She didn’t know how to make it hurt less or not at all.

A quick glance at the clock made her snap to it. She had less than eight minutes to drive to the school to pick Henry up when the bell rang. Though she was dreading it, she knew she had to keep her word. With everything her son had put her through, she had to keep her word, and his grounding was more than indefinite.

The fact that she wished she had magic to make sure his grounding stayed true made her think of how much she was turning into her mother, and there was absolutely nothing more that she hated more than turning into the one thing her mother had been. A controlling, selfish woman whose only needs she had the desire to fill were her own.

Despite having enough to make three memory potions, the ingredients were fairly unstable, and she still wasn’t convinced that it would work the way it would’ve had they still been back in the Enchanted Forest. The question still lingered in her mind about who she needed to give the potion to in order to make sure that the curse did not break and that life as she knew it went back to the way it had been before.

Her mind was racing as she drove to the school and parked just outside the parking lot in her usual place where she picked Henry up from school occasionally. She had two minutes to spare before the bell rang and she kept an eye out for Henry amongst the throng of children that came out the front door.

Regina frowned when she saw the look of disappointment and anger on Henry’s face the moment he saw her waiting in the car. He didn’t try to walk away and join the other children on the bus, but he did take his sweet time walking over to the car and grumbled as he got in the passenger seat.

“Did you have a good day at school, Henry?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Regina reached for the gearshift and paused as she turned to look at Henry again. He was looking out the window, avoiding her as much as he could in the small, confined space of the car. She shook her head, shifted the gear into drive, and headed home. Neither spoke on the drive to the house and the moment Regina parked the car in the driveway, Henry hopped out of the car and headed straight to the front door.

“Henry—”

He was inside before she could say another word and she frowned as she grabbed her bag off the back seat and headed inside. She barely walked through the front door when she heard him running up the stairs and then the sound of his bedroom door slamming shut that grated on her nerves.

She walked into the study and placed her bag on the coffee table. She paced for a few minutes before she pulled out the three vials and hid them behind an old hollow book. The last thing she needed was for Henry to find them before she figured out just what she was going to do. Whether the potions worked as they were supposed to or not, she needed a backup plan first and foremost.

Out of habit, she walked over to the table where she kept her cider and she stopped before she poured some into a glass. It was too early for a drink, and she needed to think with a clear head or else she would end up doing something she would later regret. She growled under her breath before walking out of the study and up the stairs. Henry’s bedroom door was closed and she opened it without knocking.

“Henry, how many times have I told you not to slam your door?” Regina asked and he didn’t look up from where he laid on his stomach on the bed. “Henry?”

“What?”

“I asked you a question!”

“Sorry,” he muttered under his breath. “I won’t do it again. Happy?”

Regina frowned and she walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Henry immediately turned away from her and she sighed heavily as she reached out to smooth his hair just as she used to when he was younger and upset.

“I know you’re upset and angry right now, but do you understand why you are grounded?”

“Yeah.”

“You cannot keep running away, Henry.”

“Whatever. Can you go and leave me alone? I don’t want to see you right now, Mom.”

“Henry—”

“Please?” He asked as he turned to look at her, his eyes filled with unshed tears. “Please just go away.”

Regina pulled back, tears suddenly springing to her eyes at the cold tone of her son’s voice. She stood up from the bed and tried to push down the pain she was feeling at the way her son was speaking to her. She left his room, gently shutting the door behind her as the tears began to fall, but as quickly as they fell, she grew angry, angrier than she had been when Henry showed up last night with his birth mother.

Now, more than ever, she didn’t know what she was going to do. It would be too easy to use the memory potion on her son, to make things go back to where they were before he looked at her as nothing more than the Evil Queen. But the easy way out always backfired on her and she wasn’t going to risk using the potion on her son when she wasn’t sure it’d work at all to begin with.

Regina ran her hands through her hair before angrily wiping at the wet tears on her cheeks. She headed back downstairs into the study and began pacing in front of the unlit fireplace. After a few minutes, she began to calm down, but she still had no idea what the hell she was going to do to fix all her current problems.

There were a lot of times in the years since she’d cast the curse that she had some doubts, but this was nothing compared to what she’d felt in the past. She felt weak and out of control, two things she hated more than anything and two things she would never admit to another soul out of fear they’d use it against her. She was always in control, always and to have it taken from her and she couldn’t find a way to take it back or even defend herself because it was absolutely unacceptable.

Her eyes trailed to the hollow book on the shelf where she’d stored the three vials of the memory potion she had cooked up inside of her vault earlier that afternoon. Even as unsure as she was about not only if it would work, she was even more unsure on just who she needed to use it on.

Henry would never forgive her if he found out she’d used it on him and she knew that. Elizabeth and Graham, she could deal with the fallout that would inevitably come when and if they ever found out. Then there was Emma Swan, the very source of her problems at the moment, but something was holding her back on wanting to use it on the woman.

That something was the little girl that had come to town with her, the innocent four-year-old who had nothing to do with anything.

Regina always had a soft spot for children, especially those too innocent and oblivious to the truth. To use that potion on Emma Swan would rob that child of the mother she knew, and Regina was that cruel. Not anymore, at least.

Unsure of what to do, she picked up the phone and turned to the one person she had always turned to in the past. The genie, the man in the mirror, a man now known as Sidney Glass and a man, much like Elizabeth Crane and the Huntsman, she had under her control all throughout the curse.

“Yes?” Sidney said when he answered her call barely after the second ring. “What can I do for you, my Queen?”

“I have a problem, Sidney,” Regina said sharply into the phone, her eyes still lingering on the hollow book on the shelf and thinking of what lay hidden inside of it. “I need you over here. How soon can you come?”

“Immediately, of course,” Sidney replied. “Anything else, my Queen?”

“Just get over here. Now!”

[X]

Emma watched Riley and Beth play with the pieces of the puzzle that Beth had found to try and preoccupy the restless four-year-old while they waited for the call about how long exactly it’d take for Emma’s car to be fixed. She initially didn’t want to stay there in the loft to wait for the call, but Riley had become absolutely enamored with Beth that she didn’t have the heart to leave just yet.

Beth was family whether they were still complete strangers to one another or not, and family was something Emma had longed for all her life even if she had given up a long time ago in trying to find her birth parents or any remaining family that she was related to. Her mind was going a mile a minute because in all the years she’d searched for her birth family she had come up empty, and it felt more than just a coincidence that the son she’d given up for adoption had brought her to a town where her sister, her _twin sister_ had lived all her life.

Deep down, though she had long since given up on finding her family, she really did want to stick around in Storybrooke for a little while to get the answer she was searching for, answers that Beth was now seeking out too.

“Beth?” A woman called out just before the door opened and a woman with short brown hair walked into the loft carrying a hefty looking messenger bag. “Oh, you’re home! And you have a guest!”

“Mare—”

“Two,” the woman said as she looked over at Emma sitting at the table. “One that looks very much like you. Wow, okay, am I hallucinating? I know I had a very long and stressful day, but—”

“Mare, you’re not hallucinating,” Beth said as she got up from the floor. “Why don’t you sit down for a minute and I— _we’ll_ try to explain everything?”

“I’m really hallucinating if I’m seeing two of you, Beth.”

“I promise you that you’re not,” Beth said as she walked over to the other woman and took the hefty bag from her and put it down on the floor before leading her over to sit down in the chair just across from the couch. “Mary Margaret, this is Emma Swan and her daughter Riley,” Beth said once she had the woman sitting down across the table from Emma. “Funny story actually, but you know how the mayor adopted Henry years ago? Emma is his mother, his birth mother.”

Mary Margaret shook her head, her face falling ashen as she looked back and forth between Beth and Emma. “Oh, I see. You’re taking advantage of my hallucinations right now, aren’t you, Beth?”

Beth chuckled and sat down beside her. “I’m really not. Trust me, you should’ve heard the thoughts that were going through my head when I first ran into her at the station this morning. Do you want some tea? I can make some tea. We don’t have any coffee and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to drink right now considering you have to work tomorrow morning and everything.”

Emma watched the interaction in amusement. It was clear to see they weren’t just roommates, but best friends. Emma almost envied Beth since she had never had a friend like that in her life, not really. Definitely never on that level at least.

“I could use a drink,” Mary Margaret said slowly as her gaze drifted over to Emma. “A very strong drink maybe?”

Emma shifted in her seat and was ready for when Riley decided to hop up into her lap. Her whole focus turned to her daughter and she stroked the side of her head and played with the soft curls in her hair with a smile.

“I’m thirsty, Mommy.”

“You just had some hot cocoa, baby girl.”

“I still thirsty.”

Emma sighed and looked over at Beth and then at Mary Margaret. “Do you have any milk she can have?” She asked tentatively. “Just a small glass.”

“Of course,” Mary Margaret replied and Beth was the first to stand up. “Riley, is it?” She asked as she looked at Emma’s daughter. “It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Mary Margaret.”

“Hi,” Riley said shyly.

“So, you’re Henry’s birth mother?”

“Yeah,” Emma nodded and she shifted Riley on her lap into a more comfortable position. “I am. I only brought him back home and unfortunately ran into some car trouble.”

“And then you met Beth.”

“And then I met Beth, yeah.”

“You brought Henry home?” Mary Margaret questioned with a curious quirk of an eyebrow. “He came to you?”

“He _found_ me,” Emma shrugged. “Never thought that would happen, really. Let me tell you that the last two days have been very…surreal.”

Emma chose her words carefully. On one hand, she wanted answers, ones she’d longed for her whole life, and on the other, she wasn’t entirely sure she could handle whatever answers she found at the same time. She had always gone by her gut instinct with people and with Mary Margaret, there was a new and yet familiar feeling she got with the woman and she wasn’t entirely sure how to take it.

Beth returned a few minutes later with a small glass of milk for Riley and what Emma could smell was a glass of vodka and orange juice for Mary Margaret. She too could’ve used a drink, but a part of her really wanted to keep a level head around her daughter, especially when she felt like her whole life was beginning to turn upside down all at once.

“This is too strong,” Mary Margaret said after she’d taken a sip of the drink Beth had handed to her. “Far too strong, Beth. I don’t think I should.”

“Just a cup of tea, then?”

“Please,” she nodded. She turned to Emma with a look that felt familiar and not at the same time to Emma. She held on to Riley just a little tighter as she succumbed to the judgmental gaze of Mary Margaret. “Will you tell me your story?”

“My story?”

Mary Margaret shook her head. “About Henry.”

“There isn’t much to tell,” Emma replied. “All I can tell you is that I wanted him to have his best chance. I never thought he’d find me. Not now or ever.”

“But you’re his mother.”

“I’m not,” Emma stated. “I am _not_ his mother. I gave birth to him and then I gave him up. It’s not the same thing. It was a closed adoption. Not as closed as I was led to believe obviously. He still found me.”

Somehow, after that statement, Emma launched into the details of the last two days; more specifically from the moment Henry had knocked on her door. For her, that was the moment her whole life had changed, and it had changed in ways she still wasn’t prepared for. Mary Margaret and Beth listened to her story, to her side of the events that had unfolded. Neither had blinked twice when she mentioned the book that Henry carried nor over the things that Henry had claimed to believe to be true that she told them exactly the way that it had all unfolded the night before.

There wasn’t much more to tell than what she had already told them. She could tell they both had questions, questions she wasn’t so sure she’d be willing to give answers to. Emma never opened up to complete strangers about anything, especially not when it came to the most intimate details of her life. Staying behind those walls was just easier, yet she couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that this time it was different.

Mary Margaret just stared at her for the longest time and the silence was becoming somewhat awkward for Emma. She couldn’t blame the woman for staring, it wasn’t every day that someone found out their roommate had an identical sister they had only just found out about too.

“Isn’t it crazy that Regina Mills adopted your son?” Mary Margaret asked. “Of all the people that could have adopted him, it was her and here in this town where Beth has lived her whole life too.”

“A little crazy, yeah.”

“You don’t think it is fate or anything?”

“Why would it be fate, Mare?” Beth asked. “It’s just a crazy coincidence, that’s all.”

“If you say so,” Mary Margaret replied, but she didn’t take her eyes off of Emma. “It’s so strange.”

“What is?” Emma asked.

“How you two look so much alike, even the way you speak is nearly identical.”

“Did you miss the part that we’re twins?” Beth asked with a laugh. “And not entirely identical,” she added as she pointed to the defined scar on her chin. “At least you’ll be able to tell us apart. Won’t be up to playing tricks on you, Mare. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Because that is totally something you wouldn’t do, Beth,” Mary Margaret laughed lightly. “How long are you planning on staying in Storybrooke, Emma?”

“Until my car is fixed, I guess?” Emma shrugged. “I have a life to get back to in Boston, we do,” she said and she leaned down to drop a kiss to Riley’s forehead. “I’m sure my boss isn’t going to be happy if I don’t come back soon.”

“What is it that you do?”

“A lot of things, whatever I can get at the time,” Emma shrugged. “I’m a bail bondsperson right now. It pays well.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Mary Margaret said and she turned to Beth. “Not that being a deputy isn’t dangerous either. You know how I always worry about you.”

“You worry?” Beth chuckled. “This is Storybrooke. Nothing happens here. Ever.”

“Don’t jinx it, Beth!” Mary Margaret gasped and Emma couldn’t help but laugh at the way the two of them were together. “She completely jinxed it,” she said to Emma.

“I bet she did.”

“Well, it would be nice to have some excitement,” Beth said with a shrug. “What?” She asked when Mary Margaret just gave her an incredulous look. “I said some, not a lot.”

[X]

Regina paced in the study as Sidney sat on the sofa, sipping the cup of tea she had prepared for him. After explaining everything she could about her current predicament, she waited for him to come up with a feasible solution. Sidney was well aware of who he was, of the curse, of everything. She had told him everything years ago to trigger his memory, and at the time it was only because she was afraid of what would happen to Henry if anything had ever happened to her.

“Are you afraid this woman is going to willingly choose to stay here in Storybrooke?”

“That is not the only thing I am afraid of, Sidney.”

“If she leaves, then it poses no problem to you.”

“Whether she leaves or not, I have to deal with Henry and now Elizabeth as well. The Sheriff has enough sense not to bring up the fact that Elizabeth’s twin sister is Henry’s mother, not to mention the fact that neither of them knew of each other until this morning.”

Sidney sighed and sipped his tea. “What shall you wish I do to help you, Madam Mayor? Chase this woman out of town with a fabricated story shall she wish to remain here?”

“I don’t know!” Regina exclaimed and she growled in annoyance. Talking to Sidney was getting her nowhere. “I am much more concerned about Henry right now.”

“How so?”

“With how he sees me now, Sidney,” Regina snapped. “How can I ever go back to the way things used to be before he got that damned book and those ideas in his head!”

“They’re not just ideas, your majesty.”

“I know that!”

Sidney remained calm. It infuriated Regina with how calm he always was. “Yet, you do not want to give him the memory potion out of fear he will one day discover you have altered his memories, especially of something so crucial. Have you thought of other ways to fix this?”

“Would you be here if I had figured it out, Sidney?”

Sidney shifted on the sofa and sipped his tea. “No, my queen, I would not be here if you had figured your way out of this predicament yourself. I do want to offer any and all assistance that I can, of course. Do tell me what you need.”

Regina continued to pace and after a few passes by Sidney on the sofa, she stopped, turned on her heels, and headed over to her usually locked liquor cabinet. It was still early, but she felt the need for something strong, something far stronger than her cider. Her hands were shaking as she reached for an old bottle of brandy. She had to take a few deep breaths before she poured some in her old fashioned glass and she topped it up with a few pieced of ice before she resumed in her pacing, sipping her drink every couple of steps.

“What do I do, Sidney?” Regina asked and she stopped just to stare down at the man she had once been so used to seeing only in her mirrors. “What do I do?”

“It is a question of doing the right thing that doesn’t hurt Henry and then it is a question of doing the right thing for you. The ultimate question, my Queen, is what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know, Sidney.”

“Yes, I believe you do know.”

“I can’t hurt Henry.”

“And you won’t, my Queen.”

“I can’t—I won’t hurt him,” she said under her breath and she stared down into her glass of brandy for a moment before taking a sip. “If he ever found out, he would never forgive me for doing that to him, for taking his memories. I can’t do that to him. I won’t.”

“And what of the deputy?”

“He’ll know if I took hers too,” Regina sighed. “They’re practically friends, Sidney. _Friends_.”

“And his birth mother?”

“The potion is unpredictable,” Regina said with a shake of her head. “What if she forgets her own daughter? I may have been the Evil Queen once, but that is not who I am now. I cannot do that as much as I despise the woman.”

“Perhaps you can speak with Henry.”

“Weren’t you listening when I told you he refuses to speak to me? How can I talk to him if he won’t listen?”

“What of the therapist he sees weekly? Perhaps he can speak with Henry on your behalf.”

Archie Hopper. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? She had just as much pull with the pathetic little bug as she did with most people in the cursed town. She placed her drink down on the table and walked over to where the phone sat on the small desk in the corner. She picked up the receiver and quickly dialed a number.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Dr. Hopper,” Regina said quietly. “I need to make an appointment with you. Preferably tonight if you are able.”

“Tonight?” He asked. “Henry has an appointment on Wednesday. Did something happen?”

“Not with Henry,” Regina said. “I want you to meet with me. There are some things that I need to discuss with you before Henry’s session on Wednesday.”

“Uh yes, yes I can meet with you tonight. I was just about to leave the office. Would you prefer to come here or shall I make a visit to the house, Madam Mayor?”

“I’ll be at your office in less than one hour, Dr. Hopper.”

“All right. I’ll see you soon.”

[X]

Henry was bored. He hated being grounded. His mother _never_ grounded him, not like this. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten anything since lunch and he tentatively opened his bedroom door. Normally around six he smelled his mother cooking dinner, but tonight he couldn’t smell anything. With a frown, he walked out of his room and headed downstairs.

“Mom?” Henry called out as he made his way into the kitchen, hoping to find her in there. “What are you doing here?” He asked the man sitting at the counter and sipping a cup of tea. “Where is my mom?”

“She had to run an errand,” Sidney replied. “She asked me to stay here with you until she returned.”

“Oh. How long has she been gone?”

“She only just left a short while ago.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“She’ll be back with dinner, she said,” Sidney said and Henry hated the way the man spoke to him. He had never liked the man, not ever, and he hated it even more when his mother had him come here to watch him while she was out.

“I’m hungry now.”

“Perhaps a little snack to tie you over would be all right.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Henry walked over to the cupboard where the snacks were kept, and while he was never allowed a snack before dinner, or any meal for that matter, he grabbed the box of chocolate chip cookies and opened it. After taking just four, he got a glass of milk and sat at the island on the opposite end of Sidney Glass and meticulously dipped each cookie in the glass of milk until it was soggy before taking a bite, not once taking his eyes off the man sipping from his cup of tea.

Henry finished his cookies and dumped the remaining milk out of the glass into the sink, something his mother never allowed him to do since it was a waste. Sidney didn’t say a word to him as he walked out of the kitchen and went right back upstairs to his bedroom.

He sat by his window and looked out over the street. Two houses down, the old man with his little white yappy dog were just returning from their walk, the dog nipping at the man’s ankles as he tried to walk to the front door. A lone car drove past a minute later and then he saw the sheriff’s cruiser drive down the street, the Sheriff behind the wheel looking out just as he always did on his patrols.

Henry was still angry he’d been caught eavesdropping on his mother and Beth that morning. The things he’d heard, the things he had seen, none of it made any sense to him at all. Were his mother and Beth together? It didn’t seem like they were any other time and that morning had been the first time he’d seen them kiss.

He shuddered just at the memory of it. It was weird because it was his mom and Beth, it was weird because Beth was his birth mom’s twin sister, and it was weird because he had never seen his mom with anyone before in his whole life and he wasn’t sure what to think about it at all.

Is that what she was doing right now? Errands meaning going to see Beth? How many times had she done that before just to go and see her? A part of him didn’t want to know, but another part of him was curious and he wanted to find out just how long his mother and Beth had been seeing each other. Not to mention the fact that he wanted to find out the true nature of their relationship too.

But the one thing he couldn’t quite figure out was why his mother hadn’t said anything when Emma brought him home last night or why she hadn’t said anything to him since then either. Did she know about Emma all along? What else did she know that she hadn’t told anyone? How much did Beth know or was she just as oblivious as everyone else?

Henry left his room and headed into his mother’s bedroom. He was careful to be quiet because the last thing he needed was for Sidney Glass to find him snooping in his mother’s room and tattle on him when she came home.

Henry lingered in the open doorway, remembering the times he would come to her room in the middle of the night because of a bad dream and how she’d let him sleep with her in her bed. He never woke up in there, she’d always taken him back to his room long before morning, but he hadn’t done that for years and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d even been in that room.

He took a few steps inside the room and all he could smell was the distinct smell of apples, cherries, even a hint of vanilla, along with the fresh scent of freshly laundered sheets. He checked the drawers in the low dresser first, finding neatly folded clothes and nothing more inside each drawer. He checked the high dresser next, but it was more of the same. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but he knew he’d find something—anything—that gave him proof of who his mother really was, the Evil Queen. And he wasn’t just looking for that proof, he was looking to find any sign of Beth because he was convinced there had to be something in there.

He barely made it to the closet when he heard his mother’s voice and then the front door shut a second later. In a panic, he rushed out of her room and ducked into the bathroom as his mother came up the stairs.

“Henry?”

“I’m in the bathroom,” Henry called out and he flushed the toilet and washed his hands before opening the door. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she smiled down at him. “Are you hungry?”

“Starved.”

“I stopped at Granny’s and picked up a couple of chicken salad wraps for dinner,” she said as she headed to the stairs, pausing to glance back at Henry to make sure he was right behind her. “I even picked up an order of onion rings.”

“Why?”

“Because I know how much you like them,” she said with a small shake of her head. “Can’t I try and make everything up to you?”

“With onion rings?” Henry asked as his face scrunched in confusion. “Okay, I guess? Does this mean that I’m still grounded?”

“Yes, Henry. You are still grounded.”

“Indefinitely?”

“We’ll see,” she said as they reached the bottom of the stairs and she led the way into the dining room. Henry stopped short when he saw Dr. Hopper sitting at the table. “Henry—”

“What is he doing here?” Henry asked. “I don’t have my session until Wednesday.”

“I know you don’t, but I thought after what has happened over the last couple of days that you could benefit from a session tonight. This is my condition if you no longer want to be grounded, Henry.”

“Couldn’t I wait until Wednesday?”

“Henry, your mother is concerned,” Dr. Hopper said gently and Henry felt his mother give him a little push towards his usual chair and motioned for him to sit down. “She’s afraid that you’ll try to run away again.”

“Well, I’m not going to do that again. I’m grounded.”

Dr. Hopper just smiled a little and looked over at Regina. They exchanged a look before Regina left the two of them alone in the dining room. Henry reached for the bag from Granny’s and pulled out one of the chicken salad wraps and his small carton of onion rings.

“She’s very worried about you,” Dr. Hopper said.

“I know, but I’m not going to run away again, Archie.”

“Do you want to talk about why you ran away in the first place?”

“I didn’t run away, not exactly,” Henry said quietly. “I just wanted to go and find my real mom.”

“And the second time?”

“That wasn’t technically the first time.”

“Ah, yes,” he nodded lightly. “What about last night?”

Henry shrugged. “She grounded me. I was mad. I didn’t leave last night,” he said. “I left this morning before she woke up. I just wanted to get away.”

“Why is that?”

“She doesn’t want me either.”

“Who?”

“My real mom, Emma.”

“You have a mother, Henry,” Dr. Hopper said and Henry frowned as he picked at one of the onion rings. “She loves you very much and she does want you. She picked you when she adopted you. What makes you think she doesn’t want you?”

“Because she’s _evil_ , Archie. She can’t love me if she’s evil, can she?” Henry asked and he turned to look at his mother who was now lingering in the doorway, listening to their conversation. “And my real mom doesn’t want me either. She has another kid now. Nobody wants me!”

“Henry, that is not true. I—”

“Regina, I think it’s best if Henry and I speak alone,” Dr. Hopper said gently. After a few seconds, Regina turned to leave and he looked over at Henry. “Why do you believe your mother is evil, Henry?”

“I don’t believe she is, I know she is,” Henry said and as hungry as he was before, he suddenly didn’t feel like eating the food she’d brought home for him. “Do you remember what I told you about the curse?”

“Yes, I do, Henry, but—”

“You don’t believe me either, do you?”

“Henry—”

“You don’t believe me because you’re under the curse too. You don’t understand, Archie, and you don’t believe it because you can’t see the truth! Just like nobody else knows about the curse or how long they’ve been stuck here.”

“Henry,” Archie said as he reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. “We’ve spoken about this before. I know you believe what you’ve read in that book of yours, but sometimes you do let your imagination run away from you. I’m not telling you that I don’t believe you, but what I am trying to say is that it is only a story at the end of the day, Henry. Your mother is not evil, she didn’t cast a curse, and she loves you.”

Henry felt the hot tears spring to his eyes and he balled his fists tightly under the table. It would be easier if he believed what the doctor was telling him, but he knew it wasn’t the truth. He knew what the truth was even if nobody else did or even believed him.

“We need to find a way for you to distinguish the difference between fantasy and reality,” Dr. Hopper said. “Once you are about to do that, I promise you that things will get better, Henry.”

“You don’t believe me either, do you? You never have!”

“Henry—”

“I’m not lying, Archie,” Henry said and he felt his tears spill over despite trying to hold them back. “I thought out of anyone that you’d believe me, or at least pretend that you do.”

“I do believe you, Henry.”

“No, you don’t! You think it’s just my imagination. It’s not, Archie. It’s _not_ just my imagination!”

“Henry—”

“Do you think I’m crazy?” Henry asked as the tears continued to fall down his cheeks and he clenched his fists a little tighter. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

“No, Henry, I don’t think that at all. I think you are just confused right now and the lines between fantasy and reality have blurred. We have discussed this before, many times, and I believe that you will one day be able to distinguish the difference. I know you feel very confused at the moment, and you have every right to feel that way, but we need to talk about _why_ you believe that the stories in that book are true.”

“I told you before, Archie,” Henry said and he unclenched his fists to wipe at the hot tears spilling down his cheeks. “I’ve figured it out and nobody believes me.”

Archie sighed. “Henry, perhaps you can show me this book of yours and we can discuss this at your session on Wednesday. Would you be all right with that?”

“You want my book?”

“Just to borrow it until I see you again,” Archie clarified.

“You _are_ going to give it back, right?”

“Of course, Henry.”

Henry headed up to his room and got the book, pausing only to stare at the cover and wonder if he was doing the right thing in letting Archie borrow it for a few days. He barely left the book out of his sight since he had been given it out of fear his mother would find it and try to destroy it.

But he needed Archie to understand, to see for himself that what he believed was true. And it wasn’t just Archie he knew that he needed to convince, it was Emma mostly as he believed more and more that she truly was the savior and that she alone would save everyone from the curse they’d been under for the last twenty-eight years.


	9. Chapter 9

Emma let out a frustrated grunt as she hung up on the mechanic. She had hoped to be back on the road and heading home to Boston that night, but from what Michael Tillman had just told her, they had run into some complications in fixing her car and it wouldn’t be ready at least until the next afternoon. Maybe.

She looked over at Riley who was sitting on the couch with Mary Margaret and listening to the pixie-haired woman read her a story. She cast a glance over at Beth as she stood by the stove and stirred the sauce for the pasta she was cooking for dinner. Beth almost immediately turned and she flashed an easy smile her way before turning her attention back to the pots on the stove.

Despite making a deal with Beth to stay in Storybrooke to find the answers they both were seeking, Emma still very much wanted to go home. She didn’t belong there in Storybrooke and that feeling that she was unwelcome was heavier than it had been when she first met her son’s adoptive mother the night before.

“What’s the sitch with your car?” Beth asked.

“It’s going to take another day,” Emma replied. “Maybe longer. I don’t know. He just told me they ran into some complications.”

“That sucks,” Beth said and she cast a glance back at Emma and frowned. “Looks like you’re stuck here, huh?”

“Yeah, looks like it.”

“You gonna stay at the inn?”

“Where else would I go?” Emma asked and Beth just shrugged before she turned down the burners on the stove. “Sheriff Graham is letting me use his room, but I don’t feel like I should be staying there without paying him or something.”

“If he gave you the key, he wants you to use it, Emma,” Beth said with a short laugh. “It’s not like Granny is ever short on rooms though. I’m sure she has a room with two beds for you and Riley to rent out for the week.”

“A week?”

“You did say you were going to stay until we got some answers, right?”

“And that is going to take a week?”

Beth shrugged. “I don’t know. Hopefully not since you’ve got a life to get back to in Boston and everything.”

“Right.”

“Hope you’re hungry,” Beth said as she grabbed the pot of pasta and drained it into the strainer. “Made enough for a small army here.”

Emma couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you always cook so much food?”

“I never cook,” she replied. “Just ask Mare. I wasn’t sure how much to make with you and Riley here.”

“We’re fine with whatever,” Emma said and she walked around into the kitchen to grab the plates that Beth had stacked earlier. “Have you and Mary Margaret lived together long?”

“About eight years now,” Beth replied and she pulled a face. “We’re just friends.”

“I wasn’t—”

“Well, you wouldn’t be the first to assume,” she finished and shook her head as she started to put the long skinny spaghetti onto the plate that Emma just handed her. “So, do you have anyone special in your life, Emma?”

“Aside from Riley?” Emma asked. “No. There hasn’t been anyone for a long time.”

“Her father?”

“Yeah, guess you could say that. I don’t have time to date and Riley takes up most of my time when I’m not working.”

“Anyone else?”

Emma took the plate of spaghetti and handed Beth another empty plate. “This woman who watches Riley when I’m working. Miss Carla. She’s sweet and as close to family as I’ve ever had I guess. Riley adores her. They do spend a lot of time together after all.”

“Is Riley not in school?”

“She should be,” Emma sighed and she took the second plate of spaghetti and handed another empty one to Beth. “As soon as I get back to Boston I’m going to look into some schools to enroll her into before she enters kindergarten next fall. I’m kind of not ready for that.”

Beth laughed lightly. “They grow up so fast, don’t they?”

“Too fast.”

“I remember Henry’s first day of school,” Beth said and she paused, placing the forked spoon in the pot of pasta. “She was a mess. I think she was more nervous than he was.”

“You were there for Henry’s first day of school?”

“Yeah, I was volunteering, blacktop duty. Had to put in the volunteer hours to get my deputy badge,” she said with a shrug. “Regina was a mess. She ended up spending the entire morning standing outside the window watching him.”

“I’m sure I’ll end up doing the same thing.”

They both laughed before resuming in plating the pasta before they took turns with the sauce. Emma carried the plates to the table and got Riley to go to the bathroom to wash her hands while Mary Margaret and Beth sat down at the table. Emma followed Riley into the bathroom to make sure she was properly washing her hands and when they joined the other two at the table, Emma knew she’d walked in on a hushed conversation that had ended the second she and Riley stepped out of the bathroom.

Emma put Riley in the chair that Mary Margaret had stacked a pile of large, thick books for her to sit on so that she could reach her plate on the table with ease.

“So, I was thinking I could give you two a lift to the inn after dinner,” Beth said. “I’m supposed to meet up with a friend for drinks at the Rabbit Hole tonight and it’s on the way. I’m good friends with Ruby, so I’ll make sure she gives you two a good room to stay in for a good price.”

“Appreciate it, but we’re fine with the room we have now. We’ll just be here for another night or two.”

“Oh,” Beth frowned. “Okay.”

“We’ll keep in touch?” Emma offered. “You know, about finding the answers we’re both looking for? I can do more in Boston than I can here.”

“Sure, besides, you do owe me for getting your car fixed.”

Emma laughed. “I know. Don’t think I’m backing out of that, Beth. I’ll hit the bank before I leave, I promise.”

“Here I thought you were trying to skip out on paying me back,” Beth chuckled lightly, but her laughter quickly died off and she pushed the last bit of spaghetti around on her plate. “Do you think we’ll find any answers?”

“I looked for a long time before,” Emma said. “I never found anything. Not even you. Guess it makes sense now because you were adopted. Your parents probably made sure it was impossible for anyone to find you.”

“I didn’t know until you came to the station this morning,” Beth said. “I had no idea. My parents, they never said anything, never implied I was adopted. I had no idea.”

“I know.”

“I don’t understand.”

“What?” Emma asked and Mary Margaret got up to start to clear the dishes away. “What don’t you understand?”

“Why I had a family and you—”

“Didn’t?” Emma finished for her. “Luck, maybe? That’s one of the answers we’re going to find out. Hopefully.”

“Do you know what happened?”

Emma scratched at the back of her neck and cast a glance at Riley. “Riles, why don’t you go over there and look at the book that Mary Margaret was reading you earlier.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Emma inhaled sharply. “I was found at the side of the road shortly after I was born. There was no mention in the article that I found that said there was another baby when I was found. I went right into the system once I was found. I spent a few years trying to find my birth parents, but there was nothing to find. It’s like they dropped me off there and disappeared off the face of the earth.”

Emma found it uneasy to talk so openly about herself, but at the same time, she felt a deep connection with Beth, one she hadn’t ever felt with anyone else before.

“What was it like?”

“What?”

“Being in the system?”

Emma shook her head. “Tough. Not something I’d wish on my worst enemy.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry? It’s not your fault. I had to live through it, get through it, but it made me strong, I guess. Life hasn’t been easy, but,” she paused as she looked over at Riley on the couch flipping through the book Mary Margaret had been reading to her before they sat down to eat. “But it got me to where I am now. But, you know what is the craziest thing? I wouldn’t change anything because I don’t know what kind of person I would have become if things had been any different in my life.”

Beth smiled sadly at her and it was a look Emma was too familiar with. Emma picked at the napkin she had in her lap and looked over at Riley once again. Thinking about her past, her childhood and all the hardships she’d endured made her thankful she hadn’t given Riley up too. It also made her thankful that her son had been given a much better chance than she ever had too.

They didn’t talk much else after that and once Emma thanked both of them for having her and Riley for dinner, she took up Beth on the offer for the drive over to the inn. They took Mary Margaret’s Jeep Wagoneer and even during the short ride, neither of them spoke. Once Beth pulled up in front of the inn, she turned to Emma with a smile.

“Meet me tomorrow for breakfast?”

“Sure,” Emma nodded. “What time?”

“Seven?”

“Wow, early then,” Emma laughed. “Okay.”

“I gotta work tomorrow, shift starts at eight. Besides, it’s never busy until after eight so we’ll practically have the whole diner to ourselves.”

Emma nodded and got out of the car. She opened the back door and got Riley out of the backseat. She carried Riley up to the inn’s front door and walked in, sighing as Riley fussed and buried her face into her neck tiredly.

It had definitely been a very long day and Emma was feeling it too. Nobody was behind the front desk and she made her way up the stairs to their room. After she put Riley on the bed and pulled off her shoes, she laid down beside her and closed her eyes, allowing the events of the day flood to the front of her mind as she willed sleep to come quickly.

[X]

The Rabbit Hole was practically empty when Beth walked in after dropping Emma and Riley off. Happy hour was long over and she was surprised she didn’t see the usual regulars sitting at the bar or at the tables.

“Hey, can I get a beer?” She asked the bartender as she sat in her usual spot near the end of the bar.

“Looks like you could use more than just a beer,” he chuckled as he placed a napkin in front of her. “Long day?”

“Could say that,” she sighed. “How about a shot of rum with that beer, yeah?”

“Of course, Deputy Crane.”

“I’m off duty tonight, Logan.”

“Right. Beth.”

She waited for her drinks and once Logan had placed the shot of rum down in front of her, she downed it and exhaled sharply before motioning for him to pour her another. After the second shot, she turned on the stool and sipped her cold beer from the bottle slowly, waiting for the friend she’d come to the bar to meet up with.

After nearly ten minutes, the door opened and she smiled as Ruby Lucas walked in with a slight swagger in her hips. It wasn’t often she got the chance to spend time with Ruby, not when Ruby was always pulling in extra shifts at the diner or at the inn when Granny needed her to. Yet, when they did get the chance to hang out, it always ended with them spending time at the Rabbit Hole until Logan shut the bar down for the night.

“Hey, girlfriend,” Ruby grinned and she moved to hug Beth before she sat on the stool next to her. “Long day?”

“The longest.”

“I know the feeling,” Ruby chuckled. “Hey, Logan, can I get what Beth is having?”

“You want a couple of shots too?”

“No,” Ruby said as she pulled a face. “Just a beer is fine.”

Beth shook her head and took another swig of her beer before sliding off the stool. She walked over to the pool table and grabbed the rack. Ruby followed her as soon as she had the balls racked up and Ruby gave her a pointed look that made her roll her eyes.

“What?”

“You’re not going to address the huge elephant in the room, Beth?”

“What elephant?”

“Your twin sister arriving in town with her kid.”

Beth shook her head and grabbed one of the pool cues off the holder on the wall. “What do you want me to say, Ruby?”

“Well, you can start by explaining why you never told me that you—”

“I didn’t know until she showed up at the station this morning, actually. If I had known, Ruby, you know I would’ve told you.”

“Really?” Ruby asked, raising one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows in suspicion. “Just like you have never told me about you and Graham?”

“What?”

“Don’t lie to me, Beth,” Ruby said and she poked her hard in the shoulder with her index finger. “I know you’ve been seeing him and it’s been going on for a while, hasn’t it?”

“We’re just having fun,” Beth replied. “It’s not serious.”

“He’s not the only one you’ve been seeing, is he?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Beth denied immediately. She motioned to the pool table and sighed. “Shall we just play a game or what?”

“For every ball I sink, I get to ask a question and you,” Ruby said as she pointed a finger at her. “You need to answer with the truth and nothing but the truth.”

Beth nodded nervously and gulped. The truth was something she had hidden so well for so long and only because nobody ever questioned it. Ever. Her relationship with Graham was easy, easier than it was with Regina. With Graham, she didn’t have to worry about the power plays that went on between her and Regina, nor did she ever have to worry about him asking questions not even she could answer. With Regina, everything was different. She accepted her place with Regina most of the time, knowing she was just another pawn in the game Regina was playing, testing that role she had by pushing the older woman and yet, yet she never really won that game that they’ve always played.

Beth broke first, sinking a solid and a stripe. When Ruby didn’t claim one, she picked solid and lined up for a second shot. She sunk one more before missing the next one and she stepped back as Ruby sauntered up to the table.

“So, you really didn’t know?”

“I really didn’t know.”

“Really?” Ruby asked and she lined up for her shot, sinking the eleven ball before turning to face Beth again. “All these years and you didn’t know?”

“I honestly didn’t know, Ruby.”

“How?”

Beth sighed. “That’s what I want to know too,” she muttered under her breath as Ruby took a second shot. “My parents, they never said anything.”

“Not ever?”

“Not ever,” Beth replied. “Is that your question?”

“No,” Ruby chuckled lightly and she gripped the pool cue tightly as she approached her. “How did you feel when you found out?”

“Confused.”

“Honestly?”

“Yes,” she nodded, not willing to indulge any more details. She always knew something as different about her life, about the town she grew up in, not to mention the people in it too, but Ruby would never understand. That much she knew. Ruby nor anyone else would ever understand the things that Regina had told her.

Ruby gave her a look she was unsure of before taking that next shot. She missed and scoffed before pointing at her. Beth took a deep breath and lined up her next shot, but she faltered when she thought she saw _her_ walk into the bar. She slipped and missed the cue ball, sending several of the other balls across the table and she turned to Ruby with a frown.

“Do over?”

“What happened?”

“Nothing,” Beth replied quickly. “Do over? You can take first shot this time?”

“Deal.”

Beth tried to keep her focus on the game, but she failed, because all she saw whenever she saw Ruby was of the things Regina had told her, of who they used to be before the curse had been cast. There were just so many little details that had been left out that she’d been trying for years to piece things together to make more sense of it all.

It wasn’t often that she thought about the things Regina had told her, or even of Regina herself when she wasn’t with her. Yet, she couldn’t seem to get Regina off of her mind and while she normally didn’t drink much at all, she had come to the Rabbit Hole to have a few drinks with Ruby and let off a bit of frustration in the only way she knew how that didn’t involve some kind of sexual power play with Regina in the bedroom. Graham wasn’t going to be a good way for her to let off steam either because she didn’t use him the way that Regina liked to use her.

She knew what she was to Regina, another pawn, but over time the roles reversed in the bedroom between them and Beth had taken the upper hand and had that control over Regina. It was intoxicating taking that control, but as much as she tried at times, Regina didn’t always allow it. It was intoxicating just being with Regina because no one else ever came close to her, not the way that she did.

It wasn’t an ideal life, but it was all she’d known for years since she first met Regina there in the Rabbit Hole one night. The first time had been purely driven by need and copious amounts of alcohol. Regina had been the first woman she’d ever been with and likely the only woman she’d ever be with throughout the rest of her life. The second time she and Regina had been together, they were sober and Regina was looking for a way to unwind since Henry was in the middle of his terrible twos and she needed to escape for a few hours.

It became a pattern after that, one that Beth never quite questioned since she had genuinely thought in the beginning that she was the only one who could help Regina in that way. It wasn’t long after she got the job at the station, mostly because Regina had pulled a few strings and got it for her, that she and Graham had started seeing each other secretly. Much like her sexual trysts with Regina, that was all it had been with Graham too, but the difference was that neither she or Graham ever tried to have control over one another, not the way she and Regina always did. But there was something lacking, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on, and it was something beyond her control.

“Beth?” Ruby asked as she put the pool cue down on the table. “Are you okay, doll?”

“I’m fine,” Beth sighed. “I just have a lot on my mind right now, that’s all.”

“Are you thinking about your sister?”

Beth looked at Ruby and nodded even though it wasn’t the truth. Ruby was stuck in the curse just as everyone else had been for the last twenty-eight years and Ruby wouldn’t understand even if she tried to explain it all to her.

“Is she staying in Storybrooke?”

“Not for long, just until her car is fixed.”

Ruby leaned against the pool table and cocked her head to the side. “You were really lost in thought. I won, by the way.”

“Right.”

“You owe me about eight answers.”

Beth frowned and shook her head. “Can we not play this game, Ruby? I’m really not in the mood and the only reason I asked you to come out tonight was to have a few drinks.”

“Yet, you never drink,” Ruby said pointedly. “It’s not your sister you’re thinking about, is it?”

“No.”

“Graham?”

“No.”

“Someone else?” Ruby asked and Beth crossed her arms over her chest and frowned deeply. “Come on, Beth, how long have we been friends?”

“A long time.”

“And I know you,” Ruby said pointedly. “You’ve been seeing someone else other than Graham all this time, haven’t you?” Ruby paused and poked her in the shoulder. “Who is it? Is it someone that I know?”

“Ruby, you know everyone in this town.”

She laughed. “Okay, that’s true. Is it a man?”

“Ruby—”

“It’s a woman!” Ruby gasped and she grabbed onto Beth’s shoulders and got right into her face. “You’re seeing another woman, aren’t you?”

Beth swallowed thickly and Ruby laughed and let go of her shoulders before grabbing her hand and pulling her over to sit at one of the tables. Ruby motioned to the bartender to bring them another round of shots and Beth groaned when Ruby tightened her grip on her hand.

“Who is it? You’re not sleeping with Mary Margaret, are you?”

“God no!” Beth laughed. “Why would you think that? We’re just roommates and she’s one of my best friends.”

Ruby looked at her for a moment before she let go of her hand and shuddered. “You’re right. Of course you’re not sleeping with Mary Margaret. As cute as she is, she’s not your type.”

“Oh, I have a type now?”

“Yes!”

“And that is?” Beth asked and the bartender came over with another round of shots and two cold beers. “Ruby, I really don’t have a type. I don’t date.”

“No, you don’t date because you’re fucking Graham and another woman. Does he know about her?”

“No!”

“Does she know about him?”

“You said I owed you eight answers,” Beth said and she picked up the shot glass as Ruby picked up hers. “I gave you eight answers already.”

“You also said you didn’t want to play the game anymore either. Come on, Beth. Can I at least guess who it is?”

“You’ll never get it right.”

Ruby started listing off names of women in town, single, married, old, young, but not one of them was Regina. Ruby didn’t stop and when Beth’s phone vibrated in her pocket, she pulled it out and stared down at the screen with wide eyes. It was a message from Regina asking her to come over after ten.

She picked up the beer and sipped it slowly while Ruby continued firing off names and she subtly responded to Regina’s text telling her she wasn’t coming over tonight. She never told Regina no, but she wasn’t feeling up to seeing her, not with all that had happened throughout the day, and not with all that was on her mind either. Not even two minutes after she sent the text, her phone was ringing and she ignored it, slipping her phone back into her pocket of her tight jeans.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?”

“Nope,” Beth replied.

“Is it Graham?”

“No,” she sighed. “Forget about it. Let’s have another round of shots, yeah?”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, girlfriend?” Ruby asked but she motioned to the bartender to bring them another round anyway. “Don’t you have to work tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah, but I can always go in a little later. Graham won’t mind. He never does.”

“Deputy?” Logan asked as he approached the table with another round of shots for them and the cordless phone he kept behind the bar. “You got a phone call.”

“Who is it?” Beth asked even though she already knew.

“Mayor Mills, she says it is urgent.”

“Why is the mayor calling you?” Ruby asked and Beth groaned inwardly and shook her head. “That’s so weird.”

“I’ll be right back,” Beth said as she took the phone from Logan and walked back to where the bathrooms were and leaned up against the wall, sighing heavily before she put the phone to her ear. “Hi, Regina.”

“Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

“I’m out with Ruby,” Beth replied. “We’re having a few drinks and talking.”

“You don’t drink.”

“No, but the crazy thing is, I felt the need to tonight.”

“Elizabeth—”

“I need to go, Regina. I’m sorry. I’m not coming over tonight either.”

“Why the hell not? It wasn’t a question, I am telling you that I need you here tonight and you have the audacity to tell me no? Do you have the urge to be punished tonight, Elizabeth? You do not tell me no, ever.”

“That’s just the thing, Regina,” she said quietly. “I _am_ telling you no. You don’t like it, but too fucking bad. I don’t want to see you tonight. Have a good night, my Queen.”

She hung up the phone and walked back out, her body feeling a little weak and she was shaking slightly as she gave the phone back to Logan before joining Ruby at the table. She downed the shot that was in front of her and slammed the glass onto the table with a gasp.

“What?” Beth asked when Ruby just stared at her with her mouth slightly agape. “What, Ruby?”

“She’s the other woman, isn’t she?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Do you want to play another game of pool or maybe we can feed the jukebox and dance for a while?”

“Beth—”

“Or do you just want to call it a night, Ruby?”

“Beth, how long have you been fucking the mayor?” Ruby asked tightly. “How long?”

“Too long,” she sighed heavily. “Far too long.”

“Tell me everything.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because if she finds out that you know about us, I—I don’t know what she’ll do. She’s already angry with me.”

“What can she possibly do to you, Beth? Fire you?”

“Worse. She’ll punish me,” Beth said under her breath. “You have no idea what she is capable of, Ruby.”

“Things get a little kinky between you two often?” Ruby asked teasingly. “That’s kind of hot, Beth.”

“Yeah, it can be,” she said under her breath, suddenly feeling extremely anxious because she was sure that Regina would somehow find out all that she was telling Ruby, things no one else should ever know. “Look, anything we’ve talked about tonight, please don’t say anything to anyone else.”

“My lips are sealed, girlfriend. Promise.”

They drank some more after that, neither talking about Regina or Emma Swan. It turned into the night she’d been looking forward to having, until she started to feel the room around her spin, her body grow numb from the rum and the beer, and her thoughts began to wander aimlessly, thoughts that slipped out even though Ruby wasn’t paying much attention as the jukebox played loudly and she danced around the bar, occasionally persuading some of the men who had come in over the last few hours to dance with her.

Suddenly, after what she thought was the fifth or sixth shot, Beth was wondering how much different her life would be if she wasn’t stuck in Storybrooke—how much _better_ it would be if she could have the life that Emma Swan had back in Boston. She thought for a moment that there was nothing she wouldn’t do to trade lives with her twin sister, to experience the world outside of the only place she’d spent her entire life. She had long since dreamed of a different life, traveling all over the country and maybe even the world. It was one of the few things she had in common with Ruby Lucas, one of the things that had ultimately brought them to being the close friends that they had become over the years. Having the chance at a different life was never something she longed for before she discovered there were more hidden secrets and lies in her life than she had previously known.

Beth sat down alone in a booth off in a quiet corner of the bar, coughing over the thick cigarette smoke that hung in the air from the group of men that were sitting just a few feet away. She pulled out her phone, not surprised to find a dozen text messages from Regina along with several missed calls and voice mails that were no doubt Regina yelling at her for being so disobedient and denying her request to come to see her after Henry was in bed.

If it had been any other day but today, Beth would have willingly gone to the mansion promptly just after ten to serve the queen as she so saw fit. Despite the power play between them, she did enjoy their sexual encounters. Nobody quite got under her skin the way that Regina did and nobody could quite get her off the way that Regina could either.

Beth groaned as she shoved her phone back into her pocket and pulled out the cash she had shoved in the other. She fumbled with the bills as her vision started to double and once she figured out how much she owed for her tab, she gave it to Kevin before she stumbled out of the bar without saying a word to Ruby that she was leaving. The fresh air hit her hard and it made the world start to spin more so than it had been just a few minutes before. She was in no condition to drive, but then again, home wasn’t too far away. Nothing was in Storybrooke, not the places that she tended to frequent were anyway.

Beth made it almost to the loft, stumbling and stopping every couple of steps just to get her bearings. Her mind was racing, none of her thoughts making much sense at all, her only focus being getting home and crawling into bed only to wake up in a handful of hours to a blaring alarm she wished she could silence forever.

“You’ve been drinking?” An ever-familiar voice said from behind her as she tried to open the door to her building. She groaned as she turned to face Regina just as Regina stepped out of the shadows. “I thought you never drink.”

“I don’t.”

“Yet…” Regina trailed off and Beth could tell just from the fire in her eyes that she was angry. Pissed off. “You’ve been ignoring me also.”

“Not in the mood tonight,” Beth muttered and she fumbled with her keys, dropping them twice before she managed to get the right one in the lock. “Shouldn’t you be at home with Henry?”

“He’s in bed.”

“Should still be there. You’re his mother.”

“He thinks otherwise these days.”

“Still his mother,” Beth sighed and she pulled open the old door and yanked her key out of the lock roughly. “Go home, Regina.”

“Why are you ignoring me?”

“I told you why already. Not in the mood. Got it?”

“Don’t walk away from me, Elizabeth.”

“Watch me.”

She stepped inside and pulled the door shut before Regina could follow her. With a light chuckle, she turned to climb the stairs, ignoring the pounding on the door as she carefully climbed up to the landing. She knew she’d regret what she’d done in the morning, but in that moment she just didn’t care. She had denied Regina the power she normally had over her and it felt good. Damn good. It wasn’t often she challenged Regina, and she had never denied her before either. Before she could even put the key in the lock, Mary Margaret flung open the door with a deep frown and disappointment in her eyes.

“Hi.”

“Where have you been?” Mary Margaret asked.

“Out.”

“Drinking?”

“So?” Beth shrugged. “What are you, my mother? I’m a grown adult. I can go out drinking if I want to. Don’t worry, I didn’t drive home. Your car is parked—”

“Who is down there banging on the door?”

“Nobody.”

“It doesn’t sound like nobody to me, Beth.”

“Don’t worry about it Mare,” Beth sighed and she walked past her into the apartment. “I’m just going to go to bed.”

“Who is down there, Beth?” Mary Margaret asked and Beth turned around in time to see the woman storm out of the apartment and down the stairs.

“Mary Margaret, don’t!”

Beth hid just behind the door as she heard Mary Margaret open the door at the bottom of the stairs. She groaned inwardly and knew there were going to be questions she couldn’t answer as soon as Mary Margaret opened the door to find Regina Mills on the other side.

Yet, she only heard the door shut a second later and then the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. She backed away from the door as Mary Margaret walked in with a shake of her head. She shut the door and locked it before turning to face Beth with a perplexed look on her face.

“Probably just some kids playing pranks,” she said. “No one was there when I opened the door.”

“Oh. Well,” Beth said as she hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “I’ll just head up to bed now then.”

“Beth?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to talk about what happened today?”

“Not right now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Mare, I’m sure. I’m tired. I’m drunk. The room is spinning a little and I need to be up early for work.”

“You don’t have to deal with this alone.”

“Deal with this?” Beth laughed lightly. “It’s not every day you find out that your whole life has been a lie and that you have a twin sister. I’m dealing with this, Mary Margaret. Besides, soon as her car is fixed, she’ll be gone, and who knows if I’ll ever hear from her again.”

“She’s your sister.”

“By nature, not nurture.”

Mary Margaret frowned. “You know, just because she will be leaving doesn’t mean she won’t keep in touch. You heard what she said about how she has never truly had a family of her own. This is the chance for both of you.”

“If you say so. Night, Mare.”

“Good night, Beth.”

Beth could barely keep her eyes open as she climbed up the stairs to her room and she was out like a light the second she flopped down on her bed and her head hit the pillow.

It was mostly a dreamless sleep until Beth woke up covered in sweat, her mind filled with worry shortly before four in the morning. Her first thought was of Regina, of what she’d said to her when she came home, of her rejection and she started to panic. Her rejection would result in punishment and when it came to Regina, punishment could come in any way or form and it wouldn’t be the fun kind like they did when they played their sexual games.

From the very start, Regina had been clear of what Beth was to her, and from the very start, Beth had been all too willing as the thrill of being with a woman like Regina Mills was unlike anything she’d ever experienced in her life. She knew for years the truth behind the town, the woman in question, and the curse that Henry had figured out from the book that Mary Margaret had given to him, but even knowing all that she did, sometimes she had a hard time believing it.

Beth fumbled with her cell phone that was still in her pocket of her jeans and she rolled onto her back with a groan as she turned it on and read through the dozens of text messages Regina had sent her in the time since she’d gotten home and denied her completely. Regina wasn’t just pissed, she was livid. Beth hesitated in typing up a reply, and the longer she hesitated, the more she thought that sending her a text to apologize was the worst thing she could do to try and smooth over the situation.

She needed to talk to her in person. She needed to amend the situation before things got out of control. She needed to turn everything around to the way it had always been between her and Regina before Regina used the power she had over her and the rest of the town to do something not even Beth could imagine she’d do.

She got out of bed, changed her clothes, pulled back her hair and quietly headed out of the apartment. It was quiet outside and there was a chill in the air. She pulled her black leather jacket tight around her as she walked over to where she parked her Harley. With a shake of her head, she decided just to walk as the fresh, crisp fall morning air would help clear her head of the cobwebs that lingered from a night of drinking.

She felt as if she was on autopilot as she walked towards Mifflin Street and once she was in front of the mayor’s house, she frowned as she looked up at the front door. She took a few deep breaths before walking around to the back of the house and used her key that Regina had given her years before to let herself in the door by the kitchen. Only the light over the stove was on and Beth looked around, not surprised to find that the kitchen was immaculately clean. She ran her index finger along the edge of the island countertop and stopped when she heard a sound coming from upstairs.

It was too early for Henry to be awake unless he was planning on running away again after all that he’d put his mother through. Beth cautiously made her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs, careful not to step on the floor by Henry’s bedroom that always creaked a little. She walked down to Regina’s room and nudged open the door and found the bed empty and unmade. She stepped inside and toed off her shoes while slipping off her jacket. She placed her jacket on the chaise lounge in front of the window and turned when she heard the door click shut.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to apologize, my Queen.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to apologize for the lack of updates, so I thought I'd make it up to you guys with two today!

The diner was packed when Emma walked in with Riley just ahead of her. She was tired, more so than usual, and the bed she’d been sleeping in with Riley for the last two nights wasn’t as comfortable as her bed back home. Her back was sore, her neck ached, and all she wanted was a nice big cup of coffee to start her day off right.

They were supposed to meet with Beth for breakfast at seven, but she’d had a hard time getting Riley up and ready before then and they were late. Really late. She doubted that Beth stuck around after they didn’t show up before seven-thirty.

“Riley!” Emma called out as Riley jumped into one of the booths along the side wall. Emma sighed and joined her, sitting across from her as she frowned deeply. “Riley, we could’ve just sat at a table. We don’t need a booth.”

“I like it,” Riley pouted.

“Okay. What do you want for breakfast?”

“Pancakes!”

“Is that all?”

“And chocolate milk!”

Emma pinched the bridge of her nose, unable to fathom how Riley could have so much energy at seven-forty in the morning. The familiar waitress, Ruby, came sauntering over just a few minutes after they had sat down and despite the smile on her face, Emma could tell she was putting on a façade. Ruby didn’t even ask before she poured Emma a cup of coffee and turned to Riley to take her order.

“Let me guess,” Ruby drawled as she pointed the blunt end of her pencil against her bottom lip. “Chocolate milk and pancakes?”

“Yeah!”

“Riley,” Emma said as she stared at her. “Manners.”

“Yes, please,” Riley said sheepishly.

“And you?” Ruby asked as she looked at Emma. “Do you want the breakfast special again?”

Emma shook her head. “I’ll take the breakfast burrito with the hash brown on the side this morning, please.”

“Alright,” Ruby grinned and she groaned quietly as she wrote down their order before massaging her temple with her left hand. “Just wave me over when you want a refill. Your food should be ready in about fifteen minutes. Kind of hit us at the rush and we’re down a waitress this morning.”

“It’s fine, we’re in no hurry this morning.”

“Great.”

Emma took a sip of her coffee before pouring in a little bit of creamer. Riley was squirming in her seat, already bored of waiting for her breakfast and they’d barely been there for five minutes. Emma pulled out her phone and went through her emails, most of them from her boss inquiring her about coming into the office that morning to go over a new contract. She groaned as she quickly replied to the email to inform her boss she was out of town and wasn’t entirely sure she’d make it back to Boston that day. She still wouldn’t know the status of her car until after eight that morning at the earliest.

She looked around the diner and noticed that there were the same people that had been there the morning before. It wasn’t too odd, it was a small town after all, but it got her thinking about what Henry said about the whole town and its people being under a curse cast by the Evil Queen.

It was completely ridiculous and just the product of a lonely boy with an over-active imagination. A part of her worried that there was something more going on with Henry, more than just his imagination working in overdrive, and more than him having problems with his mother. Emma knew that before she left town she would have to talk to Henry’s mother and find out what was really going on with him. She knew she just couldn’t leave town until she knew he was okay.

After they had breakfast, Emma asked Ruby if she’d seen Beth that morning, but Ruby just shook her head no and went off to take another customer’s order before Granny started yelling at her to get back to work. Emma just picked Riley up and headed back up to their room to get their jackets. Riley was starting to get fussy as Emma pulled her jacket on and after a bit of a struggle with her, they were on their way to the Marine Garage so that Emma could find out what was going on with her car.

She knew the instant she saw the mechanic that there was no chance in hell her car was going to be fixed that day. The disappointment was almost too much, but she just gave the man her number and asked her to call her later if any progress had been made and then asked for directions to the town hall where she hoped to find Regina before she got too busy with work for the day.

She scooped Riley up and gave her a piggyback ride as she made her way to the town hall a few blocks away. Unlike the day before, nobody really said hello or waved at her as she walked by. As she turned the corner and walked up to the town hall, wondering again if it was too early to catch the mayor before she got too busy.

[X]

Regina smoothed her skirt as she climbed out of her car, her whole body aching deliciously after her early morning visit from the deputy. The anger she’d felt since the night before still lingered, but the deputy had quickly made she that she had forgotten of her betrayal rather quickly.

Regina spotted an ever-familiar blonde approaching the town hall, but it wasn’t the deputy, it was the other woman, Henry’s birth mother. A flash of worry flooded through her as she watched the woman carry her young daughter on her back and she quickly slipped into the side door of the town hall and headed straight up to her office.

What was she doing there and first thing in the morning of all times? Why hadn’t she left town yet? She was worried and angered all at once and she pulled off her coat and hung it up before quickly walking over to her desk to put her briefcase down. Was she still there because of Henry? Did the woman have some kind of a plan to stay around and be a part of Henry’s life even though Regina had specifically asked her to leave? She hated worrying about anything, as she had gone so many years without much of it at all. This woman was a threat and she needed to find a way to get her out of her town and out of her life, especially before Henry realized that she was still there and not back in Boston where she belonged.

“Hi,” the woman said as Regina spun around to look at her standing just outside her open office door. “Is this a bad time?”

“Not at all, Miss Swan. Come in,” she said lowly and motioned for her to shut the door behind her. “What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to talk to you about Henry,” Emma replied and she put her young daughter down on the floor. “Riley, can you go sit over there, please? Don’t touch anything.”

“I have a coloring book and some crayons for her,” Regina said and she walked to the short filing cabinet near the door and pulled out the coloring book and crayons she’d always kept there for the days Henry had come to her office after school.

“Thank you,” Emma said with a grateful nod and she moved Riley to sit at the conference table, whispering to her to be careful not to get any crayon on the marble surface. “Are you sure this is a good time? I could always come back later?”

“You’re here now and now is as good a time as later, I suppose,” Regina replied and she gestured over to the sofa. “What brings you here, Miss Swan? Henry, you said?”

Emma nodded as she sat down and Regina took a seat in her chair. “I’m a little worried about him.”

“There is no need to be,” Regina said. “He’s going through a rough time at the moment, but it is just a phase and I am certain it will pass rather quickly.”

“A rough time? That’s a bit of an understatement, isn’t it, Regina?” Emma laughed lightly. “I know I have no right to know anything about him, but he came to me and I can’t help but think there’s more to it than—”

“He is going through a phase, as I said,” Regina interrupted. “I have him in therapy to try and work through this and the things he’s got into his head about the town, and more specifically, me. I would not worry about Henry, Miss Swan. He’ll be fine.”

Even Regina wasn’t convinced though the words came out strong and sure. Emma shrugged and scratched idly at the back of her neck before casting a glance over at her daughter at the table.

“Is that all, Miss Swan?”

“Why is he in therapy?” Emma asked. “You don’t think he’s, I don’t know, crazy, do you?”

“Why on earth would I think that my son is crazy?”

“You know, with him believing that the stories in his book are real and that you’re—”

“It’s nothing more than the product of an imaginative ten-year-old, Miss Swan. You were a child once. Perhaps you made up stories you believed were true at times.”

“Who didn’t?” Emma chuckled with a shake of her head. “But it’s not really the same thing, is it?”

“What is you point?”

“I don’t know, Regina. Something just feels off.”

Regina had to appreciate her honesty. Aside from her looks, she reminded her far too much of Elizabeth in some ways, especially when it came to having no filter over the things that came out of her mouth. Regina crossed her legs, inhaling deeply at the slight twinge of pain she felt on her inner thigh where she had been marked intimately but an over-zealous Elizabeth barely an hour before.

It was hard to look at Emma and not think of Elizabeth, but she reminded herself as she stared at Emma Swan that they were most definitely not the same person in any way or form aside from looking nearly identical. It was even harder to sit across from Emma Swan and not think of the events that had unfolded when Elizabeth had invited herself into her home and her bedroom just after four in the morning to apologize for the rejection the night before. Regina licked her lips slowly and continued to stare at the woman seated across from her while fighting the thoughts that ran through her mind uncontrollably. Emma Swan was not Elizabeth Crane and Emma was most definitely not the object she sexually desired and craved.

Most definitely not.

“What feels off, Miss Swan?” Regina asked as she cleared her throat, realizing that Emma was waiting for an answer. “I can assure you that nothing is off, as you put it. Henry is in therapy for a few reasons at the moment.”

“What else do you have him going to therapy for?”

“That is really none of your business.”

“He’s ten,” Emma said pointedly. “He shouldn’t be in therapy at ten years old, Regina.”

“He is _my_ son and if I believe he can benefit from therapy, then I will damn well make sure that—”

“Have you ever talked to him?”

“Excuse me?”

“About the things he talks to the therapist about? Have you ever just sat down and talked to him?”

“Of course I have.”

“From one mother to another,” Emma said as she leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees. “I don’t think a kid at ten years old would need therapy if his mother could talk to him.”

“You know absolutely nothing about what he has been going through, Miss Swan. You have no right to assume anything. You are not his mother. You may have given birth to him, but I was there when you were not. I changed every diaper, endured every tantrum, soothed every fever and—”

“Why does he hate you?” Emma asked and Regina shook her head as she stood up. “What did you do to him, Regina?”

“I did nothing!” Regina scoffed. “I need you to leave now, Miss Swan.”

“You must’ve done something to make him hate you like this,” Emma muttered as she got up from the sofa and walked over to her daughter. “Come on, Riles, let’s go.”

“I not finished, Mommy!”

“I’ll buy you a new book at the store okay? Let’s go.”

“No, Mommy!”

Regina walked over to the door as her heart ached just a little. Watching Riley throw her little temper tantrum reminded her far too much of Henry when he was four years old. The similarities were too obvious to ignore and it made her long and ache for the days when things were much simpler. Easier.

“When are you leaving town, Miss Swan?”

“Soon as my car is fixed,” Emma replied as she scooped up her daughter and soothed a hand over her back as she started to cry. “I don’t know when that is going to be, but I think I’m going to stick around for a little while.”

“Why on earth would you do that?”

“Like I said, something feels off,” Emma said and Regina could see the determination in her sea green eyes that she was not about to back down as easily as anyone else in that town did. “I want to make sure he’s okay. Don’t worry, Regina, I’m not trying to be a part of his life. He already has a mother. I just want to make sure he’s going to be okay after I leave.”

“He will be perfectly fine, Miss Swan.”

The look Emma gave her told her she didn’t believe it herself. Regina thought back to the memory potions she’d made and despite her earlier reservations about using it on that woman because of her young daughter, she was now wondering how she could slip it to her and convince her to leave town immediately. The vials were not in her office, but at home, and she cursed silently that she hadn’t thought to keep just one in her briefcase.

Regina clenched her jaw as she walked Emma and her daughter out to the main staircase that led down to the front of the town hall. With a forced and very mayoral smile, she gave her a curt nod of goodbye and headed straight back into her office. She picked up her phone and dialed a familiar number, sighing in relief when Sidney Glass answered on the second ring.

“What can I do for you, my Queen?”

“I need the information that I inquired about before,” Regina said lowly. “Information on Emma Swan.”

“Ah,” Sidney chuckled. “So, you still want to go ahead with that fabricated story, your majesty?”

“Will it drive her out of my town and, more importantly, out of my son’s life?”

“Perhaps,” he said slowly. “But perhaps we may not need to fabricate a story at all. This woman, Emma Swan, she has quite a colorful past. Has she not left town yet?”

“I would not be calling you if she had, Sidney,” Regina said, growing irritated at the man for dancing around the question. “I need you to do what I asked you to do, Sidney.”

“Yes, your majesty. Give me a few hours and I’ll have what you need.”

“There is only one problem.”

“Yes?”

“This woman, she’s not only Henry’s birth mother. She is Deputy Crane’s twin sister. I want to drive this woman out of town, not hurt Miss Crane’s reputation at the same time. Do you understand what I’m saying, Sidney.”

“Clearly, my Queen. Leave it up to me. I’ll come up with a solution to your current predicament though have you thought again of using that memory potion on the woman in question? Perhaps that would solve all your problems.”

“If Henry ever found out, he would hate me even more than he already does. You know that is _not_ an option. The last thing that I need to do is push him further away from me. Let me know what you can get for me as soon as you get it, Sidney.”

“Yes, my Queen.”

Hours later, while Regina tried to submerge herself in pointless paperwork the sheriff’s office sent her weekly, she had started becoming anxious and unsettled. It didn’t matter how much she had tried, she just couldn’t get her mind to focus on anything but Emma Swan. When she wasn’t thinking of getting rid of Emma Swan at any cost at times, she was thinking about what had transpired with the deputy earlier that morning.

She had been livid the night before when Elizabeth had ignored her in favor of drinking herself into a stupor—something the woman had not done in all the years since Regina had openly welcomed her into her bed. It wasn’t just the rejection that had caused her blood to boil when the door had been slammed into her face when the deputy had finally arrived home almost too drunk to walk on her own, it was the lingering sense of betrayal and hurt that stemmed from the slurred words that tumbled out of her mouth.

It had been different that morning and while Elizabeth had been obedient and willing, Regina had found it hard to slip into that role she always played with the woman in bed. She had found it hard to lose herself in the pleasure, in the pain that came with it, and after she had kicked the deputy out in fear that Henry would wake up to find the woman in her bed, she had spent half an hour in the shower sobbing as she scrubbed her body clean.

Just after one, Regina gave up on trying to keep her mind off of everything with the pile of useless paperwork in front of her. She needed to get out of her office, escape elsewhere for a couple of hours. Everything was changing and it was finally settling in that these were changes not even she could control.

And that unsettled her more than anything else.

For twenty-eight years, very little had changed, and she had grown used to everything nearly staying the same as it was the day that she cast the dark curse. Though since she had adopted Henry when he was barely three weeks old, that’s when some of the changes had started and then just a few short years after that, that is when she’d begun to take the other daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming to bed and did as she pleased. Though there had been many challenges that came with the young woman, they hadn’t been enough to spark the kind of change that was happening now.

She straightened up her office, switched the message on her machine to inform any callers that she was out of the office until the next morning, and packed up some of the useless paperwork into her briefcase so that she could finish it up at home later.

Aside from the man who cleaned the town hall regularly, she didn’t run into anyone else on her way out. She walked out to her car and got in, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckled went white as she looked into the rearview mirror. Just across the street, she saw the other woman in question, Emma Swan, and her young daughter walking along the sidewalk together hand in hand.

Anger bubbled in her veins as she watched the blonde-haired woman and her daughter walk along the sidewalk, oblivious that they were being watched, but there was something else she felt deep inside, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. There was absolutely no denying that she was attracted to Elizabeth Crane physically, but there was something else about Emma, something different, something _new_. Denial replaced the anger and that lingering feeling that coursed through her body that felt warm and comforting. Denial was the easiest course of action, especially when she couldn’t pinpoint that other feeling that was overwhelming all of her senses.

Regina didn’t drive off until Emma and her daughter had disappeared into one of the shops and she didn’t lessen the grip she had on the steering wheel until she pulled into her driveway five minutes later.

Henry wouldn’t be home for another hour and a half and she entered the big, empty house, letting out an exasperated sigh as she slammed the front door shut behind her. Though it had been nearly thirty years since she had last felt the power of magic flowing through her, she could sense the changes in the air, the curse weakening more and more. It made her uneasy, nervous, and afraid. She could feel the changes with every second that passed and she stormed off into the study, removing the blazer she had on and she slung it over the back of the sofa closest to the door before walking over to her liquor cabinet.

Regina took a few deep, uneasy breaths before pulling out the decanter of cider she’d put in there the night before. It was nearly empty and she frowned as she poured herself a glass, not even bothering to make a quick trip to the kitchen for ice. She never drank as much as she had been lately, but with Henry and now with her current predicament that included Emma Swan, it was all she had to turn to for a small sense of relief. Temporary relief.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, her problems were usually easily solved, but that way of life wasn’t the way things were there in Storybrooke. She didn’t have her magic or the same kind of status as she had before, and while she still thought of herself as a queen, she knew she truly wasn’t anymore. She couldn’t get away with murder, most of those who had been loyal to her had been killed just before the curse hit or they were affected so much that they remembered nothing. She only had Sidney, her Mirror, and the Huntsman, though both were proving to be unreliable and useless.

Regina clutched the crystal glass in her hand a little tighter as thoughts filled her mind in a rush. There had to be a better solution to her current problems, a solution that didn’t involve her using a memory position or blackmailing Emma Swan into leaving town and never to speak with Henry again. Just a small side of her, the side that she had cloaked in darkness for far too long, still had the stronger voice over her conscience. But the voice that was the strongest, the deepest of it all, was loneliness.

And loneliness sparked the unfiltered anger she had so much trouble controlling and containing at times.

She swirled the cider around in her glass and stared at it long and hard before placing it down on the coffee table that sat between the two antique sofas. Her anger had been a constant in her life, just as the loneliness had, but it was her anger that came in the strongest and her hatred that never seemed to let go of its clutches that sank into her very soul like sharp, dirty claws she couldn’t shake.

“Mom?”

Regina looked up in surprise. She hadn’t expected Henry home for another hour, and when she looked at the clock sitting on the mantel, that was when she realized she had been lost in her own thoughts all that time.

“Mom?” Henry called out again and she heard the front door slam and then the sound of his footsteps walking through the foyer.

“In here, Henry.”

A moment later he appeared in the doorway of the study with a slight frown on his face and a look in his eyes Regina had unfortunately gotten used to seeing in recent weeks.

“How was school?”

“Same as always,” he shrugged. “What are you doing home?”

“I—I decided to take the afternoon off,” Regina said. “I thought that we could go for ice cream before I take you to see Dr. Hopper. Would you like that, Henry?”

“Ice cream? It’s cold outside.”

“Has that ever stopped you from wanting ice cream before?”

Henry chuckled lightly. “No.”

“Why don’t you change out of your school clothes and we’ll head out,” Regina said and Henry gave her a skeptical look, another look she’d had the misfortune of seeing more of in the last few weeks. “Hurry now, dear, your appointment is in an hour.”

“I know.”

Regina waited until Henry had left and she heard him running up the stairs to change out of his school clothes before she picked up the glass of cider she hadn’t touched and poured it back into the decanter. Henry seemed different than he had been that morning, more himself than he’d been for weeks, but Regina wasn’t going to let that fool her as she knew her son and knew it wouldn’t be long before he slipped back into the place where he believed he truly hated her because of who she once was.

Who she still was.

She made a quick trip to the kitchen to rinse out the glass and she left it in the sink to dry. She met Henry in the foyer and she offered him a tight, yet warm smile as he pulled on his wool jacket. He just stared at her for a moment before heading out ahead of her to get into the car and once she had her own wool jacket on and stepped out, her hands were shaking a little as she locked the door.

“Emma is still here,” Henry said once she was in the car a minute later. “Did you know that she’s still here?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t talk to her,” Henry muttered. “I just saw her walking by Granny’s on the bus ride home.”

“I see.”

“Mom?” Henry turned to look at her as he put his seatbelt on and Regina sighed as she looked over at him. “Why do you hate her so much?”

“I don’t,” Regina said easily. “I do not know her, Henry, and neither do you.”

“You don’t want me to know her at all,” he said sadly, his frown doing a poor job in masking his anger. “She’s my real mom.”

“Henry—”

“No, don’t. No matter what you say, it isn’t going to change the fact that she is my _real mom_. She’s still here in Storybrooke. I want to see her again. I want to talk to her. I want to get to know her.”

_Why_ , was the question she had nearly asked, but instead she stayed silent. She backed out of the driveway and focused on the road ahead of her. She knew why and she knew she had to do everything in her power to stop that from happening. She was already close to losing Henry and she wasn’t about to give up and lose him for good.

“You don’t hate Beth,” Henry muttered. “You don’t hate Beth but you hate her.”

“I don’t hate her, Henry.”

“You do! You won’t even let me see her!”

“Perhaps she doesn’t want to see you, dear.”

“Why not?”

_She gave you up_.

“Henry, can we please not talk about this right now? Can we just go for ice cream before you go to see Dr. Hopper just as we used to do all the time?” Regina asked as she came to a slow stop at a stop sign. “I want this to stop. I want—”

“Well we don’t always get whatever we want,” Henry said challengingly. “I don’t want ice cream anymore.”

“Henry, can we just talk about—”

“I don’t want to talk to you. I want to talk to Archie.”

“Fine.”

Regina drove down the street and stopped in front of Dr. Hopper’s office. She turned to say goodbye to Henry, but he was already scrambling to get out of the car before she could say a word. She turned off the engine and waited, just as she usually did if she wasn’t still working when Henry had one of his sessions. She sat and wait, and fought the thoughts that were racing through her mind. She half expected Henry to come back out a few minutes later as he was an hour early for his session, but as the minutes ticked by, he never reappeared and she sighed heavily, feeling like she was losing a war she always knew she’d never win.

[X]

“You’re early,” Archie Hopper said with a crooked smile as Henry walked into his office. “Is everything all right?”

“I guess,” Henry shrugged and he sat down on the sofa. “Is it okay that I’m early? Mom was going to take me out for ice cream but I decided I didn’t want to go anymore.”

“It’s fine, Henry. I’m not busy right now,” the doctor smiled at him. “Why did you suddenly decide you didn’t want ice cream?”

“I didn’t want to be around her anymore.”

“Your mother?”

“She’s not my real mom, Archie.”

“Of course she is,” he said and Henry frowned at the tone of the doctor’s voice. “She has raised you and loved you all your life. She takes care of you and makes sure you are clothed and fed. Isn’t that what a mother does?”

“She doesn’t love me.”

“Why do you say that?”

“She can’t love anyone, Archie. It’s just who she is.”

Henry fidgeted with the buttons on his jacket before he undid them but he left his jacket on. Dr. Hopper’s office was always a little bit too cold. Henry looked around and saw his book sitting on top of the doctor’s cluttered desk and he turned to face him again, cocking his head to the side, wondering if the doctor had read the book or not. If he’d read it, surely he would know the truth, wouldn’t he?

“And who do you believe she is, Henry?”

“The Evil Queen.”

They’d had this conversation before, just a few times, but Henry fidgeted a little more as it felt different. Henry was growing restless and he sat on his fidgeting hands to still them.

“Did you even read the book, Archie?”

“I did,” he said with a slow nod. “Quite interesting. Not your average fairytales, are they?”

“Because they’re all real.”

“Henry—”

“Why doesn’t anyone believe me?” Henry frowned. “I’m not lying. I’m not making this up. Every story in that book, ever person in that book, it’s all real!”

Dr. Hopper sighed as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “If you believe they are real and that we are all in this book,” he said as he grabbed the book off his desk. “Tell me, who am I?”

“I don’t know if you’re ready for that, Archie.”

“Try me, Henry.”

“Jiminy Cricket,” he whispered and he didn’t miss the look of surprise on the doctor’s face. “You don’t remember—”

“Because of the curse.”

“Yes.”

“Henry, the curse isn’t real. Magic does not exist outside of storybooks and fairytales. Surely you must understand that. You’re old enough now to know the difference between fantasy and reality. I understand that you truly believe what you do and I am here to help you, not validate your vivid imagination. Henry,” Archie sighed and he moved to sit beside him on the sofa. “I’ve known you for a very long time, even before you started coming to see me. You’ve always been a very bright boy, but I am struggling to understand why you’ve suddenly turned to believing a work of fiction is real.”

Henry felt the hot tears spring to his eyes, but he fought them back as best as he could. Nobody believed him and he knew that nobody probably ever would unless he had proof. A storybook wasn’t enough proof, not even if most of the characters in it were mirror images of people in town, especially of his mother and her Enchanted Forest counterpart, the Evil Queen.

“I know you’re having problems with your mother right now,” he continued. “I know how easy it is to make her into being someone she is not, but have you stopped to think about how it makes her feel when you call her evil?”

“No,” Henry replied stubbornly.

“Perhaps we can take a moment to reflect on that,” Archie said quietly and Henry shrugged. “Henry, Regina is your mother and while she may not have given birth to you, that doesn’t make her any less of a mother. You understand that, don’t you?”

“I guess.”

“Who do you believe your real mother is, Henry?”

“You met her,” Henry said. “The other night when you were out walking with Pongo.”

“Beth?”

“She’s not Beth, Archie. Her name is Emma.”

“I—I don’t understand. I thought that you and Beth were just playing a game.”

“It’s not a game,” Henry frowned. “Emma is real. Emma is my real mom. I found her in Boston, Archie. I didn’t know until I met her that she was Beth’s twin.”

“Beth has a twin sister?”

“Yes! She didn’t even know either, not until Emma brought me back home and stayed here. My mom knew. I heard her and Beth talking in her office.”

“Were you eavesdropping again, Henry?”

“Not on purpose!” He lied easily and he knew that Archie did not believe him. “Fine, I wanted to know more. They thought I was at school. I—I heard them talking and then I—I saw them.”

“Saw them doing what?”

“Kissing?”

“Your mother and Emma?”

“No. My mom and Beth.”

“Oh my,” Archie gasped softly. “You saw Emma and Beth kissing?”

“No!” Henry groaned. “My mom and Beth. Regina and Beth.”

Archie paled and sat back on the sofa, taking in the revelation that the mayor and the deputy had been caught kissing by Henry in the mayor’s office. Henry felt his stomach churning a little just remembering it, but it wasn’t because he was grossed out, it was something else, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Are they together?”

“I don’t know. No. Maybe?”

“Have you asked your mother?”

Henry pulled a face. “No. That’s weird, Archie.”

“Do you think that perhaps you thought you saw them kissing and mistaken it for them just being close?”

“I know what I saw. They were kissing.”

“I see,” he said with a slight nod and grabbed his notepad off the coffee table. “Do you want to talk about how that made you feel, Henry?”

“No. It was weird.”

“Why weird?”

“It’s my mom! I’ve never seen her with anyone before. I thought she just liked being alone.”

“I don’t think anyone likes to be alone.”

“She does.”

“And you?”

“I don’t have a choice, Archie. She’s never let me have any friends,” Henry said and an idea popped into his mind. “I think I know why now.”

“Why is that?”

“Because of the curse,” he stated. “Nobody ages, nobody but me. I wasn’t born there. I was born _here_. Beth, she’s aged too, but everyone else has stayed the same. Haven’t you noticed that, Archie? Haven’t you seen that? Everything and everyone stays exactly the same! Even Pongo hasn’t changed.”

At the mention of his name, Pongo lifted his head from his bed off in the corner and stared curiously at Henry. For a moment, Henry thought that the doctor had started to believe him, but when Archie stood up with a shake of his head in disbelief and put his storybook on a shelf out of reach, his heart dropped and he knew, just like everyone else, Archie Hopper didn’t believe him either.


	11. Chapter 11

The weather had shifted by early evening and Emma sat on the bench by the castle play structure, watching Riley carefully as she played alone. The wind began to pick up, bringing with it a biting, bitter cold off the water, but Emma didn’t move from the bench as she scrolled through her emails on her phone. Just as she was about to reply to yet another one from her boss, her phone began to ring and she smiled a little as Miss Carla’s number flashed on the screen.

“Hey,” Emma said when she answered it on the second ring.

“Goodness, I thought that something happened to you two! I sent one of the boys over to you new place when I hadn’t heard or seen you for days.”

“We’re fine, Miss Carla. We’re…out of town right now.”

“Out of town? Why?”

“Do you remember the boy that came to your place the other night?” Emma asked and she heard the old woman hum in reply. “I took him home and ran into some car trouble. I’m stuck here until it gets fixed, unfortunately.”

“But you two are all right, aren’t you?”

“We’re fine. I’m hoping to be back home tomorrow sometime. Just as long as my car gets fixed.”

“Where about’s are you and Riley?”

“We’re in a town called Storybrooke. In Maine.”

“Never heard of it.”

Emma chuckled. “Neither had I before I came here to drop Henry off with his mother.”

“How did that go?”

“All right, I guess. He didn’t want to go home.”

“Have you seen him since?”

“No. I’m not here to see him, Miss Carla. I’m only stuck here because—”

“Because of car trouble,” she finished for her. “Let me ask you something, Emma. Do you want to see him again before you leave?”

“Even if I wanted to, his mother is a real piece of work. I doubt that she’d even allow it. She made it pretty clear she doesn’t want me to be a part of Henry’s life.”

“Do you want to be?”

“I gave him up, Miss Carla. I gave up that right to be a part of his life a long time ago.”

“That doesn’t answer my question, girl.”

“If I had a choice, maybe I would want to be a part of his life.”

“You do have a choice.”

“No, I don’t. Miss Carla, I gave him up and gave up all rights I had to be in his life. Him finding me and me taking him home does not change any of it,” Emma sighed and she looked over at Riley and frowned. “It’s confusing to Riles. She thinks Henry is her brother.”

“He is.”

“Half-brother,” Emma replied. “Not the same thing.”

She heard the old woman sigh heavily and she knew that sound all too well in the time since she’d first met her. Emma shifted the phone from her right hand to her left as switched ears. Miss Carla was as close as she ever had to family and while the old woman had a family of her own, she’d always looked at Emma as if she was a part of a whole different kind of family.

“Mommy look!” Riley called out as she climbed up to the shortest platform and jumped down into the sand. “Did you see?”

“Yes, I saw, Riles,” Emma smiled at her. “Miss Carla, I don’t want Riley to be confused. Henry already told her that he’s her brother. If I try to explain that he is but he isn’t, she isn’t going to understand.”

“She’s young, but she’s smart too,” Miss Carla replied. “Try talking to her and maybe, just maybe she will understand. Will you call me when you are coming back home?”

“Of course I will.”

“Come by for dinner?”

“Yes,” Emma said. “How can we ever deny having dinner at Miss Carla’s house?”

“You’d be a fool not to, my dear,” the old woman laughed lightly. “Goodbye, Emma.”

“Bye, Miss Carla.”

“Mommy!” Riley yelled as she ran over to the bench. “Were you watching?”

“Always, baby girl.”

“Did you see me jump again?”

“I did,” Emma smiled down at her as she slipped her phone into her jacket pocket and picked Riley up to sit her on her lap. “But you really have to be careful jumping from up high like that.”

“Was not high.”

“It was!” Emma laughed and she started to tickle her, taking delight in the happy laughter that came from her daughter. “Are you getting hungry?”

“Yes, Mommy.”

“Do you want to go get some dinner?” Emma asked and Riley just nodded, but Emma could tell she was more tired than she was hungry. “Maybe we can grab something from the diner and eat in the room?”

“Okay, Mommy. We go home soon?”

“I sure hope so.”

“We go see Henry?”

“No,” Emma frowned. “We’re not going to go see Henry.”

“Why?”

“Riley, I’m going to try and explain something to you and I need you to listen very, very carefully okay?” She asked and Riley just nodded her head. “A long time ago, before I had you, I was—I had Henry and I couldn’t keep him.”

“You gave him away?”

“Yeah,” Emma nodded. “I gave him away to give him his best chance because I couldn’t. Because I gave him away, he’s no longer mine. Not like you are. Do you understand?”

“No?”

“Henry is your brother, Riley, but he’s not a part of our family. He has a family of his own. We’re not a part of it and we never will be.”

“Why not?”

“Because when I gave him away, someone else became his mother.”

“Gina?”

Emma laughed and nodded. “Yes, Regina is his mother now.”

“She’s nice.”

“Is she?”

“Yep!”

“Riley, you do understand why we can’t see Henry again, right?” Emma asked and Riley looked at her in confusion. “His mother doesn’t want us to be a part of his life.”

“Why?”

“Because she doesn’t.”

“But she’s nice!” Riley pouted. “Why she mean too?”

Emma stroked her hand over Riley’s soft curls. Riley understood a little, but not enough for the questions to stop. “Come on, why don’t we go and get some dinner, baby girl?”

“Can I join you?”

“Jesus, Beth,” Emma said as she stood up from the bench with Riley in her arms and turned to face the woman standing behind her. “You scared me.”

“Sorry, Emma, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Where did you come from?”

Beth pointed over to the cruiser parked about fifty feet away and shrugged. “I was on my last patrol and saw you two sitting here. There is a storm rolling in. Sheriff Graham sent out a warning not even five minutes ago about people staying in tonight.”

“It’s gonna get that bad?”

“Just about,” Beth said with a nod. “So, how about it? Can I join you two for dinner? Let me make up for missing breakfast this morning.”

“Where were you?” Emma asked as she followed Beth over to the cruiser. “I thought because Riley and I were a little late getting going that maybe you’d left.”

“Never made it to the diner,” Beth replied. “I got caught up.”

Emma wasn’t going to ask her for details. She had no right to any of the details of Beth’s private life, twin sister or not. As she approached the cruiser, she noticed Riley’s car seat was in the back and she laughed with a small shake of her head.

“Where did you get that?”

“Stopped by the garage earlier and picked it up. Thought since I have tonight and tomorrow off work that I could drive you around town or…you know, maybe drive you back to Boston?”

“You’d do that?”

“Sure.”

“What about my car?”

“I was thinking once Michael and Billy have it fixed I can always drive it down to you, maybe crash with you for a couple of days and take in the sights?” Beth shrugged and she pulled open the back door. “Or maybe not.”

“I’m not saying no,” Emma said as she put Riley into her car seat and made sure she was buckled in securely before she and Beth got in the front. “Riley and I just moved into a new place. I don’t exactly have a spare room.”

“Do you have a couch?”

“Yeah.”

“Then can I come and crash on your couch?”

“You really want to get out of Storybrooke, don’t you?”

Beth sighed and turned to her. “More than anything. I’ve been here my whole life. I’ve never—I want to see other places, you know? Spread my wings. I am a Crane, after all.”

“I’m a Swan,” Emma laughed lightly. “I know all about that feeling of wanting to spread your wings. It’s why I never usually stay in one place for very long. Boston has been the second place I’ve stayed in this long. Tallahassee was the first.”

“Have you ever been to New York City?”

“Just when I drove through to get to Boston. Why you want to head down there and check it out?”

“Yeah,” Beth smiled and then it faltered upon Emma’s skeptical look. “What?”

“You’ve been in a small town for almost thirty years. A city as big as New York would be a bit overwhelming.”

“I don’t think so. I think it’d be an adventure!”

“Lots of places are an adventure.”

“You don’t think I could do it?”

“I didn’t say that,” Emma said and Beth shook her head before shifting the gear into drive and pulled away from the side of the gravel road. “What about your job here? Your family and your friends?”

“Have you ever felt trapped, Emma?” Beth asked her and Emma turned to look back at Riley, not surprised to find that Riley had already fallen asleep in her car seat. “Have you ever felt like you needed to get the hell out of dodge but something or someone has always stopped you from doing it?”

Emma knew that feeling all too well from her time in foster care. It was a feeling she loathed with every fiber of her being and one she hoped never to feel ever again. With just a nod, Beth cast a glance at her before coming to a stop at a stop sign where the gravel road met pavement.

“I’ve always wanted to leave Storybrooke,” Beth said quietly and she sighed heavily as she shifted the gear into park and turned to face Emma more fully. “I’ve always had dreams of leaving, of traveling the country, maybe even the world.”

“What’s stopped you?”

“A lot of things.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know if you’re ready for that yet.”

“That’s what Henry said to me when I asked him more about the curse he believes the town is under,” Emma said lightly. “Did he tell you all about it?”

“Yes.”

“And you believe him?”

“You don’t?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Emma asked, but she knew the answer because she could see it in Beth’s face, especially her eyes, that she was most definitely not joking.

The rain started and it came down hard, fast, and seemingly out of nowhere. The sound of the windshield wipers whisking away the rain was the only sound in the quiet patrol car for a few minutes. Emma struggled not to laugh, to think that Beth was crazy for believing the curse was real, for believing Henry. She couldn’t help but stare at Beth, still finding it weird that it was like looking into a mirror aside from the jagged scar that Beth had on her chin. But there was something else, something different, something Emma knew she didn’t have.

The spark in her eyes, one that was a believer in magic, in curses and evil queen’s and fairytale characters being real.

“Do you think we can talk tonight?” Beth asked. “Without the munchkin around to hear?” She said as she motioned back to Riley.

“I—I guess so?” Emma replied, unsure. “I can’t just—”

“Mary Margaret can watch her,” Beth said. “She’s a teacher and she’s absolutely wonderful with children. You can trust her.”

“I don’t even know her.”

“Just…try it for an hour?” Beth asked. “Come with me for a drink at The Rabbit Hole and we’ll talk?”

“I thought you didn’t drink?”

“I don’t.”

Emma shook her head. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Beth. I don’t like to leave Riles with just anyone, you know?”

“Mare will take good care of her, you’ll see.”

“And she won’t mind?”

“Not at all. She owes me one. This’ll be me cashing in on that favor.”

“Just so we can talk?”

“Yeah,” Beth nodded. “There are a lot of things I need to tell you, things nobody else knows or ever would believe. I can’t do that without a bit of liquid courage, you know? So? How about it? We’ll go for dinner, get Mary Margaret to keep a keen eye on Riley for an hour and we’ll talk?”

“Can’t we talk at the diner over dinner?”

“No,” Beth said quietly. “It’s not safe at the diner to talk.”

“Eyes and ears everywhere?” Emma asked and Beth just laughed tightly. “Aren’t there eyes and ears at The Rabbit Hole too?”

“Aside from a bunch of drunk dwarves who frequent the bar? No. It’s safe there.”

Despite her qualms about leaving her daughter with a complete stranger to go to a bar with another complete stranger who just happened to be her long-lost twin sister, Emma didn’t say no. She didn’t say anything at all, actually. Her curiosity was getting to the better of her and she suddenly felt far too intrigued to not hear what Beth had to say even if she didn’t believe a single word of it. The past couple of days had been the strangest of her life, but she had a feeling that it was nothing compared to what was to come in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

[X]

They were on their third drink in less than an hour of being at The Rabbit Hole, and Emma was feeling a little buzzed while Beth avoided the whole reason they had come there in the first place. Their conversation had focused solely on their lives growing up, Beth with stories of her picture-perfect childhood with loving parents—even if they weren’t her real parents—and Emma with vague stories of her time in foster care and some of the families she’d stayed with for small periods of time.

Emma had a lot of her mind, but the only thing she truly worried about was Riley. While Mary Margaret was nice, sweet even, and a teacher to boot, she still wasn’t sure if she could completely trust the woman with her daughter despite the fact that not even an hour before when she left Riley with her, Riley had taken a strong liking to the woman in ways that Emma had never seen her do before. She took the last sip of her third beer, a local craft beer she’d never heard of before but sure was the best thing she’d ever tasted, and refused another just yet. She needed to keep her head clear, or at clear as she could with a few drinks in her.

“We’ve been here for almost an hour,” Emma said as she leaned in closer to Beth, nearly slipping off the bar stool where they sat at the far end of the long bar. “You’re avoiding the whole reason we’re here, Beth.”

“Not avoiding, just—”

“Liquid courage,” Emma finished for her. “I get that. So, why don’t we get a few shots, move to one of those booths over there and we can talk?”

“We are talking.”

“Yes, but not about the things we came here to talk about.”

“Do you want to call and see how Riley is doing?” Beth asked distractedly while she flagged the bartender down. “I’m sure they’re fine, really. Mary Margaret is probably in full teacher-mode right now. She’s probably teaching her how to read or something.”

Emma pulled her cell out of her pocket and cursed under her breath to find the battery was on its last life and not enough for even a short phone call. She put it back in her jacket pocket before pulling her jacket off.

“Can I use your phone? Mine is nearly dead.”

“I have to leave the line open,” Beth said. “Work phone. Emergencies only. Sorry.”

“Right. Where is the phone in this place?”

“There’s a payphone by the bathrooms,” Beth said as she pointed out in the direction towards the back before digging out a quarter from the pocket of her black jeans. “Do you want me to get you another beer while you’re gone?”

“Sure. Mary Margaret’s number would be useful too.”

Beth laughed and told her the number before calling out to the bartender, finally gaining his attention from his precarious wiping at the opposite end of the bar. Emma quickly made her way to the back and found the single payphone tucked away in an alcove by the bathrooms. She slipped the quarter in and dialed the number that Beth had just told her and waited as the line connected and began to ring.

Six rings later and the call was finally picked up, but it wasn’t the usual greeting when the phone was picked up on the other end, it was the sound of laughter and Emma could hear just how happy Riley was in that very moment.

“Hello?” Mary Margaret said breathlessly.

“Hey, it’s Emma.”

“Hi!” Mary Margaret laughed. “Riley, it’s your mommy. Do you want to say hi?”

“Actually, Mary Margaret, I was just calling to check in,” Emma said and the laughter from the other woman died. “I can tell you two are having fun.”

“Oh, we are! Everything is great. We were just having a tickle war. Bet you can never guess who is winning right now.”

“Riley is, isn’t she?” Emma chuckled and she turned to lean against the wall next to the phone and sighed. “Everything is okay?”

“Yes, of course. I was just trying to tire her out to get her to go to bed shortly. It seems like she got a second wind after you and Beth left. Is it all right if I let her sleep in Beth’s bed until you come to pick her up?”

“Yeah, yeah that’s fine.”

“Are there any bedtime rituals I should follow?”

Emma scratched idly at the back of her neck. “She likes to be read a story, but she loves stories that are made up even more.”

“Oh, I can do that! I know a lot of stories!”

“Just—”

“Make sure she brushes her teeth and goes potty before bed,” Mary Margaret said, repeating the words Emma had said before she and Beth had left the loft. “You didn’t have any pajama’s for her, so I found a clean t-shirt for her to wear until you come to pick her up. She’ll be more comfortable sleeping in it even though she is positively swimming in it!”

Emma couldn’t help but smile. As much as she hadn’t wanted to trust the woman to watch Riley, she did trust her. Her instinct trusted her. It was clear that Riley was happy and well looked after, that Riley would be safe until she came to pick her up and take her back to the inn. Just talking to Mary Margaret, Emma had this overwhelming feeling of comfort and familiarity despite the woman still being very much a stranger to her.

“I don’t know how long we’ll be,” Emma said quietly. “Beth said she had something to talk to me about, but she’s—”

“Avoiding.”

“Yes.”

“Give her a little time. Beth doesn’t open up to just anyone.”

“I know how that is,” Emma said and she heard footsteps approaching and turned to look to see who it was. She inhaled deeply when she saw none other than Regina Mills walking straight up to her. “I’ll let you two get back to your little war. My cell is almost dead so if there are any problems—”

“I’ll call Beth’s cell,” Mary Margaret finished for her. “Bye!”

Emma hung up the phone as the brunette approached her. There was a distinct look in the woman’s eyes, a look she wasn’t quite sure what it meant, but it made her feel like she was the prey to the predator.

Emma swallowed thickly as the woman reached out and grabbed her right wrist before dragging her into the women’s bathroom. Emma pulled her arm free and scoffed as she heard the telltale click of the door being locked.

“What—”

It was Regina’s lips that were suddenly on hers that silenced her and she froze in that very moment, unable to process what was happening or why. A rush of arousal surged through her body all at once and it wasn’t until her back collided with the stall door and they crashed inside together that she pulled back with a gasp.

“Regina—”

“Shut up,” Regina growled lowly as she gripped tightly onto Emma’s hip and shoulder. “You’ve been avoiding me all day.”

“I have?”

“Why?”

Emma shook her head. She was tipsy but she wasn’t drunk. Not yet. The kiss had caught her off-guard completely and she was spinning. The whole room, the stall, it was all spinning.

Her heart was racing at full tilt as Regina kissed her again before forcing her to sit down on the toilet seat as she readily straddled her. Emma ran her hands over Regina’s hips, over her sides, and up her back, torn between pulling the woman in closer and pushing her away because none of it made any sense at all.

She was completely caught up in the heat of the moment, in the warmth and softness of Regina’s lips, in the strong determination and power that was in the kiss. Emma’s whole body was tingling in delight, in arousal. It had been so long since she’d been kissed that way, so long since anyone had placed their hands on her so possessively and so intimately. It had been even longer since she’d been with a woman, known a woman’s touch, a woman’s taste, that she allowed herself to get caught up in it all, brazenly touching Regina, sliding her hands up to cup her breasts and run her thumbs over hardening nipples, before she was forcibly pushed back.

“What are you doing?” Regina growled.

“Was about to ask you the same thing.”

Fear suddenly filled Regina’s brown eyes and she stumbled back, fumbling with opening the stall door before she was gone in an instant. Emma took a few deep breaths in an attempt to still her racing heart and the short, sharp gasps of breath that came with trying to curb the sudden arousal that had taken over her body, mind, heart, and soul.

Confusion suddenly took over and she rose from the toilet seat on shaky legs. It took her almost a minute, maybe a little longer, before she strolled out of the stall. She stopped short when she saw Regina lingering by the locked door and looking at her as if she wasn’t sure if she wanted to fuck her and eat her alive or punch her.

“You’re not Beth,” Regina stated.

“Nope,” Emma replied, popping the ‘p’ loudly. “Took you long enough to figure it out, Regina.”

“What—if you tell _anyone_ what just happened, I will—”

“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna tell a soul,” Emma muttered and she waited for Regina to step away from the door, but Regina didn’t move an inch. “You gonna let me out of here or what?”

“What are you doing here?”

“You’re the one who dragged me in here and attacked me.”

“I hardly attacked you, Miss Swan.”

“You did,” Emma smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest. “With your lips.”

Regina looked angry, so angry there was a fire burning in her brown eyes. Still, that anger might’ve worked on other people in town, but it definitely didn’t deter Emma at all. Beyond that anger, she saw something else. Lust. The woman could deny it all she wanted, but she had enjoyed it just as much as Emma had for those few minutes they’d been kissing in the stall.

“Shouldn’t you be home with Henry?”

“I have a sitter,” Regina snapped. “Don’t tell me you brought your daughter to a bar, Miss Swan.”

“No, I have a sitter too.”

“Who?”

“Mary Margaret.”

Regina rolled her eyes and Emma motioned for her to unlock the door. “If you tell anyone—”

“Already told you I’m not.”

“You have no idea what I am capable of, Miss Swan.”

“Emma,” she said as she pointed to her chest. “Now, are you gonna move out of the way, Regina? I didn’t come here to spend the night locked in a bathroom with you.”

“No, of course you didn’t,” Regina sighed and she moved away from the door as Emma took a step forward. “Miss Swan—”

“Your little secret is safe with me.”

“What secret?” Regina asked incredulously, reaching out to grab a hold of Emma’s wrist just as she reached for the lock on the door. “You’re mistaken, Miss Swan. I don’t have any secrets.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Emma laughed. “You pulled me into the bathroom and kissed me. You thought I was Beth. Are you and Beth seeing each other?”

“No.”

“Are you just fucking?” Emma tried and she saw the anger in Regina’s eyes spark again. “Afraid people will find out and there’ll be a scandal in town because you are fucking the deputy?”

“Get out, Miss Swan.”

“Trying to,” Emma said and she pulled her wrist free. She clicked the lock but didn’t open the door. “You know, if you spent less time fucking the deputy and trying to keep it quiet, you could be using this time to spend it with Henry. Maybe he wouldn’t hate you so much if you spent more time with him.”

Emma didn’t see the punch coming until Regina’s fist collided with her jaw. Upon instinct, Emma threw a punch right back at her and lifted a hand to her jaw, rubbing it gently as it throbbed in pain. Regina gasped and stumbled back, a hand flying up to her own jaw where Emma’s fist had collided. She looked appalled that Emma had retaliated the punch so quickly and so easily.

“Can’t take what you dish out, Madam Mayor?”

“You will leave this town tonight, Miss Swan.”

“Or else?” Emma challenged her. “What could you possibly do to me if I stay?”

“You have no idea what I am capable of.”

“No, I don’t, but that’s the second time you’ve said that tonight, and call me crazy, but it makes me want to stick around and find out. I’m calling your bluff, Regina. Do your worst.”

Emma pulled the door open and strolled out of the bathroom and back out into the bar. She didn’t bother to check and see if Regina was following her because she knew she wasn’t. She looked around for Beth and found her seated in a booth in the corner. She rubbed at her sore jaw idly as she walked over to the booth and sat down across from Beth.

“Everything all right?”

“Yeah,” Emma sighed. “Riley is fine.”

“Of course she is,” Beth chuckled. “Took you long enough to talk to Mare, though.”

“I had to use the bathroom,” Emma said quietly. “Did you order another drink?”

“I was thinking that maybe we could move on to shots.”

“I’m not looking to get drunk tonight, Beth.”

“Me neither.”

“Why don’t we just order some soda for now and you can tell me what you brought me here to talk about.”

Beth shook her head and leaned over the table a little, motioning for Emma to lean in towards her. “I don’t know where to start, to be honest.”

“The beginning is always as good a place as any.”

“That’s just the thing, what is the beginning?” Beth asked. “Is the beginning when I noticed that nothing in this town changed at a young age? Or is the beginning when Regina told me everything?”

“What did Regina tell you?” Emma asked despite wanting to ask her when she and Regina first started their affair—or whatever it is they were doing. “Beth?”

“Like I was saying, I’ve always noticed things from a young age, noticed how nothing was changing, the people weren’t changing, and hell even some of them never wore a different outfit for years until one day it was like they just up and decided to put some different clothes on. I always wondered if they washed those clothes every night, night after night for years, just to wear them again, to repeat the day over and over again. Even when I was in school, it was the same thing almost every day, until one day Regina had come into my class, must have been in about the third grade at the time, and that’s when things changed just a little.”

“Nothing changed. Sounds like a normal small-town life.”

“It wasn’t just that nothing was changing. I knew it wasn’t normal. I knew something was different about this place, about my life, even my parents,” Beth said and she took a deep breath as she fidgeted with her fingers on top of the table. “By the time I was twenty, when Regina told me everything, I thought it had it all worked out, thought I knew exactly what was going on. I was wrong, of course, so when Regina told me everything, I wasn’t surprised at all.”

“You’ve been with Regina for eight years?”

Beth laughed lightly. “I wouldn’t call us together, not like that. Wait, Emma, how did you—”

“Never mind that. What did she tell you?”

“You’re not going to believe me, Emma.”

“Maybe not,” Emma shrugged. “Try me.”

“What did Henry tell you?”

“He told me about the curse, about how he believes Regina is the Evil Queen.”

“What would you say if _I_ told you it was true?”

“Then I’d say you’re just as crazy as he is,” Emma replied honestly, but her superpower when it came to detecting other people’s lies wasn’t going off. She wasn’t getting that odd nagging sensation that the woman in front of her was making it up.

Emma glanced around the bar and at the few people that were there. Dwarves, Beth had called the shorter, stouter men that she said frequented the bar. Even the interior of the bar was dated horribly, but she thought it was just a gimmick or that the owner just hadn’t bothered to update the place in almost thirty years.

She thought back to her visit to the bank, how old yet _new_ it looked. She even thought back to the people she’d encountered since she came to Storybrooke and the people she passed in the street. How had she missed the fact that the same people that were at the diner the last few mornings had been dressed exactly the same? That they had been sitting in the exact same spot and likely eating the exact same thing they had day after day.

“I think I might be just as crazy as both of you,” Emma said softly, her voice but a whisper. “Because I’m starting to believe that maybe it could be true.”

Emma shook her head. She did feel a little crazy admitting she even believed the whole deal about the curse and that the stories in Henry’s book were real, but there was just something with the way Beth was entirely convinced and believed in it herself that made he wonder if maybe she wasn’t really that crazy to believe it at all…

“Is there any way you can prove it?”

“No,” Beth frowned. “Not unless you’ve been in this town as long as I have. Henry’s book, there aren’t any answers in it.”

“Have you ever seen it yourself?”

“No, he won’t let me.”

“Does he know you know?”

Beth shook her head. “No.”

“So, what do we need to do? Get our hands on this book?”

“It would help, for a start. It’s what led him to believe everything I was told a long time ago. He wants to see you, Emma.”

“Regina won’t let me.”

“Screw that,” Beth laughed lowly. “There’s always a way, Emma, and when it comes to Henry getting what he wants, he figures it out one way or another. You’re stuck in town for a few more days and—”

“I thought you were going to drive me down to Boston tomorrow?” Emma cut her off. “Or did that offer suddenly change? I thought this town and staying here made you feel trapped?”

“How about we put it off for a few more days?” Beth asked and Emma sighed as she stared at the woman in disbelief. “Just until the weekend?”

“Are you kidding me? I need to get back to Boston and my car should be fixed by then. I’m going back with or without you, Beth, because it makes no difference to me either way.”

“I thought we were going to find some answers together? About our real parents? About why we were separated?”

“Beth, I spent a long time looking for answers that just aren’t there,” Emma said and her throat suddenly felt dry and she motioned at the bartender and mouthed at him to bring over some water for them. “I don’t know if we’ll ever find anything or any of the answers we’re looking for, unless you know, we’re a part of this whole curse thing.”

“What if we are?”

“That’s crazier than believing in any of it in the first place.”

“You don’t believe in a lot of things, do you, Emma?”

“No, I don’t, because I’ve seen enough in this world, in this life, that has led me to learn a very hard lesson,” Emma replied. “I don’t believe in things that aren’t real. Curses and magic? Evil Queens and fairytale characters? How can any of that be real? It’s just like having hope when there is none.”

“Maybe you should talk to Henry,” Beth said and she turned to the bartender with a polite smile as he brought over two tall glasses of ice cold water. “Ask him to read his book. You’re his real mom, he might just let you read it if you ask him. Don’t worry about Regina. I’ll find a way to distract her when you need to talk to Henry.”

“I’m sure you will,” Emma muttered under her breath and suddenly she was hit with an idea. Maybe it wasn’t a smart one, but it was an idea. “Hey, you’ve gone to the school before? As the deputy, right?”

“Of course. I go there almost every day. Why?”

“I think I know how I can see Henry, talk to him without Regina knowing about it,” Emma said and Beth raised a curious eyebrow. “It’s a little crazy.”

“Everything in this town is a little crazy one way or another. What is this idea of yours, Emma?”

“Is there any way that I can borrow your badge and some clothes tomorrow? Preferably right around the time Henry has lunch at school?”

“I don’t know,” Beth said slowly. “If the sheriff found out that I lent out my badge—”

“He won’t.”

“Emma, we may look identical, but there is one thing that makes us unique,” Beth said and she pointed to the jagged scar on her chin. “You can’t fake something like this.”

“With a little bit of makeup you can,” Emma laughed and she took a sip of her water before leaning forward. “All I’m asking is that we try. You want me to believe what you say about the curse and everything being real? I need you to do this for me. It’s for what, ten minutes? Maybe a little longer? Nobody will have to know or find out about this.”

“Henry will know,” Beth replied. “He’s smarter than he’s given credit for most of the time.”

“He won’t say anything. He knows his mother doesn’t want me around, but you’ve been in his life for a long time, haven’t you? She wouldn’t think twice if she thought it was you speaking to him on the playground in passing, right?”

Beth looked at her like it was the best and worst idea all at once. They both downed their water before Beth stuck out a hand towards Emma. “On one condition,” she said. “I’m there too. I’ll wait in the cruiser. Can’t have you running around impersonating me, can I?”

Emma laughed and shook her head. She didn’t want to tell her that Regina had mistaken her for Beth in the bathroom because that would lead to a whole host of questions Emma wasn’t sure she was ready to hear the answers to just yet.


	12. Chapter 12

It was unusual for her to wake up several times throughout the night because of her dreams—nightmares really. Each time she woke herself up, she could feel that ghostly tingling on her lips that had lingered for hours and only intensified when she began to dream of that very moment in the bathroom at The Rabbit Hole.

Nobody had ever had such a profound impact on her before. She dared not to think of Daniel because he was in a league of his own, her first and only true love. Nobody would ever come close to the love she had for him though the love she had for her son was marginally different and much, much deeper. Stronger, yet just as true as the love she knew she once and still had for her beloved stable boy.

Yet, those dreams, a reliving of that moment she had dragged who she thought was Elizabeth into the bathroom with full intent in showing her who was in control, it had plagued her mind endlessly.

It wasn’t Elizabeth Crane. She should’ve known that from the instant she had touched the woman because there had been a small, warm electric buzz at the touch of skin upon skin, lips upon lips. There had been something _more_ , something she’d never felt with the deputy in all the years they’d been playing their little game. That something more was what terrified her because she had never imagined she could ever feel something as close to what she had felt in those few stolen moments, those stolen secret kisses with Daniel, ever again in her life. And she had which was why she kept waking herself up from those dreams, unable to deal with reliving in that moment over and over again.

If it had been anyone else, _anyone else_ , she would not feel like she was fighting a war she’d never win with herself. But the woman she had dragged into the bathroom at The Rabbit Hole had been Emma Swan and the sparks had been there, albeit dimly, but they had unmistakably been there throughout that kiss and even when they exchanged blows. Every time she woke up from those dreams, she had tried—and failed—to convince herself that the only reason she felt those sparks was because of the fact that she had very mixed feelings about the woman and only because she was Henry’s birth mother.

Emma Swan, in her mind, was a threat on several fronts. A threat to taking her son from her, a threat to the curse, and more importantly, a threat to her guarded and closed off heart. She needed to stop all of that from happening at all costs because she didn’t cast the curse to create this life just to have it taken so easily.

She hadn’t lived in this world for twenty-eight years for everything to change over the course of a few days either. She had been content with her life as it had been, even in the struggles with Henry as of late. She had been content even with her games with Elizabeth and the ones she had played before with Graham. She had been content with everything in her life, but the more she woke herself up from those dreams, the more she feared that when it came down to it, there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop what was coming next.

Her greatest weakness—and it was not love as her mother had once told her long ago—it was her vulnerability when she wasn’t in control and the fear that came along with it. It was the lingering doubt that she could ever be the mother to Henry as she had been before he started to see her as nothing more than the Evil Queen. It was the rejection from a son who had once loved her so dearly and so endlessly without question.

Regina gave up on sleep just before five o’clock. The day was already feeling like the longest one she’d ever had and it had barely just begun. She showered quickly and dressed in black slacks and a crisply pressed white blouse. She didn’t bother with her makeup as she didn’t put it on until ten minutes before she had to leave the house most mornings. She didn’t even bother with her heels, instead, she carried them down with her and placed them by the foot of the stairs before making her way into the kitchen.

“Henry?” Regina gasped in surprise to find Henry sitting at the island counter pouring milk into a bowl of cereal. “It’s early. What are you doing awake already?”

Henry shrugged and placed the jug of milk on the counter. “I couldn’t sleep any longer. Thought I’d just get up and get some breakfast.”

“Would you rather have pancakes?” Regina asked, feeling the urge to find something to keep her busy and her mind off her dreams and off of Emma Swan. “I may even have some bacon,” she continued. “I can make bacon and eggs?”

“No, cereal is fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Henry said with a shrug and he dug into his bowl of cereal, plain cheerios that he normally complained about whenever Regina bought them. “It’s fine.”

Regina didn’t press him any further and headed over to the coffee machine to get a pot ready. She had to take a few deep breaths to keep her hands from trembling as she filled the filter with fresh grounds and she nearly spilled the water as she poured it into the machine a few minutes later. She was aware that Henry was watching her every move too, but if he had anything to say, he wasn’t saying a word.

It was something she’d been going through with him for weeks on an end. The silence was deafening and she missed the animated way he used to talk about school, about his comic books, sometimes even about the two of them spending time together just hanging out like they did when Henry didn’t have homework and she didn’t have any work to do. She missed those smiles, the laughter, the hugs and even the kisses that Henry would drop on her cheek before school every morning. She missed hearing him say ‘I love you’ several times a day and loathed that whenever she said it to him now, he’d just subtly roll his eyes at her.

She thought of ways she could fix things between her and Henry, but she didn’t know _how_ to start. _Where_ would she start? The memory potion was out of the question, especially with her own son, but there was no way she could get him to stop believing the stories he’d read in that damn storybook of his either.

She knew that his session with Dr. Hopper hadn’t gone as well as she had expected it to the night before. He’d come out from his session in a sullen mood and barely said a word to her the whole way home. He didn’t even say a word when she called the sheriff over to watch him for a little while before he went off to bed so she could make a quick trip to The Rabbit Hole to find out why Elizabeth had been ignoring her for the better part of the day.

And just like that, she was right back to thinking of that kiss. An involuntary shudder coursed through her body just as the coffee finished brewing and she felt that ghosting of Emma’s lips on hers, the urgency, the intensity, the buzz she’d felt during that kiss. She could even feel the way Emma’s hands had felt on her body before she came to her senses and realized it wasn’t Elizabeth she was kissing in the stall. Even her jaw, though slightly bruised, tingled in pain just a little when she thought of how Emma had retaliated her punch without hesitation.

Regina ran her hands through her hair, moaning softly as her body and mind betrayed her yet again. She nearly spilled as she poured the fresh, hot coffee into her mug and once she turned to grab the jug of milk, that’s when she realized that Henry was watching her intently.

“Are you okay?” Henry asked.

“I’m fine, dear.”

“You’re acting weird.”

“Am I?” Regina asked. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Okay.”

“Why don’t we do something together after school, Henry?”

“Like what?” Henry asked.

“I’m sure we can find something fun to do together,” Regina said with a soft smile, trying to hide that she was trying a little too hard at the moment. “Perhaps we can make a trip to the store and see if they have any new comics in?”

Henry shrugged as he went back to his cereal, scooping the last few bites up with the spoon. Once he was done, he placed the spoon into the bowl of milk and shrugged again. “I don’t need any new comics yet and the store never usually gets any new ones in until the beginning of the month.”

“What about your Halloween costume?” Regina asked. “You haven’t told me what you’re being this year and it’s coming up really quickly.”

“I don’t want to go out this year, Mom.”

“You don’t?”

“No,” he said before he slipped off the stool and carried his bowl over to the sink to dump the milk. “I think I want to just stay home and watch scary movies instead.”

“Are you sure? You’ve always loved Halloween, Henry.”

He shrugged indifferently. “It’s not the same anymore.”

“Why not?”

“It just isn’t,” he sighed. “I’m gonna go and make sure all my homework is done.”

“Henry—”

“What?”

“Do you want me to give you a ride to school today?”

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “I’ll take the bus.”

Regina frowned as Henry walked out of the kitchen. She rinsed out his bowl and nearly dropped it in the sink in frustration and irritation. Normally after Henry ate, he rinsed out his own bowl and put it in the dishwasher without having to be asked. She took a few deep, calming breaths before she put the bowl and the spoon in the dishwasher.

She hated how distant Henry was with her, how he pushed her away all the time, even when it came to them doing things together that they had always done. She knew she was losing him and it was something she had hoped wouldn’t happen for a long time, at least not until he was a teenager and craved his independence. That fear of losing the only person in her life that had once loved her unconditionally was bigger than any other fear she’d ever had. She had thought she would always have Henry, that Henry would always love her no matter what. She had thought she could live out her happy ending with her son, but that was all proving not to be true anymore.

Her heart felt weak and broken. She had to find a way to keep Henry from slipping away completely even if it felt as if it were far too late to fix things and to have them go back to the way that they had been before.

She had to figure out how to get her son back, to have him love her once more as he once did. At this point, she was willing to do anything, but only if it didn’t hurt Henry in the end or made him feel as if she betrayed him in order to gain his trust back. And suddenly, an idea came to her, something she wouldn’t have entertained the thought of until that moment.

Henry was fixated on his birth mother, on having her in his life one way or another whether Emma Swan didn’t want to be a part of his life. Henry was convinced that Regina didn’t love him because she was the Evil Queen. She knew in that very moment that the one way she could win back her son’s trust and then his love was to convince Emma Swan to be a part of his life, even just a little, and in turn to allow the woman into his life, into _theirs_.

If that’s what it took to have everything go back to almost normal, then she was willing to do whatever it took.

[X]

Emma fixed the deputy badge on her belt as Beth had instructed just a few minutes before when they had been sitting in the cruiser just around the block from the school. She had her hair tied back and she was careful not to rub at her chin where Beth had painstakingly drawn a nearly identical scar with makeup. Emma even wore Beth’s clothes, tight black jeans, knee-high boots, and a black leather jacket she wished was her red one, but she had a façade to keep up and Beth certainly did not wear a red leather jacket ever.

Emma pressed the aviators up her nose and walked up to the front of the school. The bell rang as it hit the lunch hour and she took a few deep breaths before she walked in. She was greeted by the sound of happy children as they exited their classrooms and headed to the small cafeteria for lunch. Beth had told her that Henry normally ate alone out on the blacktop as he didn’t have any friends to sit with in the cafeteria or outside.

“Deputy Crane,” a woman called out from behind her. “What are you doing here?”

“Just here for a visit,” Emma replied as she removed her aviators casually. “Checking to make sure everyone is, you know, safe and sound as always.”

She and Beth had rehearsed a few lines about what she’d say if she was approached by any of the teachers or the principal, but when the woman with the gray hair looked at her oddly, she wished she had gotten some names from Beth as well.

“Ah, I see,” the woman said. “All is well, Deputy Crane. Just as it always is, day after day.”

“Right,” Emma laughed, albeit a little nervously. “Do you mind if I just take a walk and visit with some of my little buddies?”

“Of course not, Deputy. I’m sure the children will be thrilled to see you again today.”

Emma smiled and headed down the hall and away from the woman, not wanting to spend another second talking with her in case the woman saw right through her act. Beth was well known in the school and around town, and Emma knew that it wouldn’t be long before someone figured out that she was not really the deputy. It was something she didn’t want to risk, something she felt wasn’t worth being caught over, and something that, if she was found out, it could quite possibly ruin the reputation Beth had built up for herself in town.

She nearly took a wrong turn down a hallway, but quickly corrected herself and headed for the door that led out to the blacktop in the back of the school. There weren’t too many children outside yet and she easily spotted Henry sitting on a picnic bench alone.

Emma frowned. It was almost heartbreaking to see him sitting all alone, sipping from his juice box with his lunch pail open and his food still untouched. Emma looked around the blacktop at the few other children that were out there and they were all playing together, running around, tagging each other before a teacher who just emerged outside called out to them to settle down and eat their lunch. Henry barely flinched, sipping his juice as he stared blankly off into space.

“Hey,” Emma said as she walked up to the bench and sat down across from him. “Anything good to eat today?”

“Hi, Beth,” Henry said quietly, turning to look down into his lunch pail before he pulled out a small container of cookies. “She only packed me three today. You can have just one.”

“What kind?”

“Same as always.”

Emma waited for him to open the container before taking one cookie out. It was chocolate chip and oatmeal from what she could tell and she smiled before taking a hearty bite. She moaned quietly and quickly covered it up when Henry stared oddly at her and coughed lightly.

“Went down wrong,” she muttered. “Happen to have another juice box in there?”

“No.”

Emma nodded and swallowed thickly before finishing off the best cookie she’d ever had in her life, hands down. She was careful not to wipe at her chin as to not rub off the makeup that gave her an almost identical scar as Beth’s and she stared at Henry for the longest time while he carefully unwrapped a small sandwich.

“What are you doing here?”

“Do you want me to leave?” Emma asked. “I thought I could come around and hang out with you today.”

“I’m at school.”

“You’re on lunch,” Emma corrected him, trying to imitate Beth’s easy smile that didn’t come so easy to her. “Trying to get rid of me, kid?”

“No. Not really. I just want to be alone right now.”

“Why?”

“Why does anyone want to be alone?” Henry asked and Emma just shrugged. “I’m not in a good mood today.”

“Why?”

Henry looked at her skeptically. “You’re acting weird, Beth.”

“Am I?”

“Yeah.”

Emma sighed and almost ran her fingers through her hair before she remembered she had it pulled back into a tight ponytail. She settled instead on taking off her aviators and placed them down on the table in front of her. It was barely a second later when she realized that had been a mistake from the look of surprise in Henry’s eyes as he stared at her.

“You’re not Beth.”

“Hen—”

“What are you doing here, Emma?” Henry asked, careful to keep his voice quiet. “Why are you dressed like Beth? Is that makeup?”

“Yeah,” Emma sighed. “Henry, this is the only way I—”

“That you could see me?” Henry finished for her. “Without _her_ knowing about it, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool,” Henry grinned. “So, you’re pretending to be Beth just to see me so _she_ doesn’t find out?”

“Your mother made it pretty clear she doesn’t want me around, Henry.”

“So, why do this?” Henry asked. “Just to see me?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your book,” Emma said and Henry frowned deeply. “Do you think I could borrow it?”

“Why?”

“I’d like to read it.”

“Well, I don’t have it anymore. Dr. Hopper took it from me last night and didn’t give it back.”

“What? Why would he do that?” Emma asked and Henry shrugged before taking a bite of his sandwich. “Did you ask for him to give it back?”

“He won’t, Emma. He’s just like everyone else. He thinks I’m crazy and making all of this up.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t think—”

“He does. I can tell. He doesn’t believe me. Nobody does. Do _you_ think I’m crazy too?”

“No, I don’t, kid,” Emma said though it wasn’t entirely a lie, it wasn’t exactly the truth either. “I just want to read that book of yours, understand a few things, that’s all.”

“Understand what?”

“Things about the curse,” Emma replied. “And to see if I can understand why you believe in all of the things that are written in there. I—I’m worried about you, kid.”

“Why? Is that why you’re still here?”

“Part of the reason. My car is still getting fixed, so I can’t exactly leave Storybrooke yet.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about me, Emma. I’m fine. Can I just go back to my lunch now? I meant it when I said I just want to be left alone right now.”

“Okay.” Emma got the hint. Henry was definitely not having a good day and her being there hadn’t lifted his spirits at all. “Have a good day, kid.”

“Yeah, I’ll try. You too, Emma.”

Emma smiled as she slipped the aviators back on and stood up from the bench. “If I can get my hands on your storybook, do you want it back or can I read it first?”

“Archie isn’t going to give it to you.”

“No, but he might let Beth look at it.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“Why not?” Emma asked. “It’s just a book.”

“She’s going to find out what you’re up to,” Henry said quietly. “She’s going to find out and she’s going to stop you.”

“Let her try,” she laughed and upon Henry’s frown, she slipped the aviators down her nose a little so he could see her eyes. “There is nothing she can do to me, kid, that I can’t handle. Okay?”

He didn’t look convinced. Emma just gave him a little nod before she walked across the blacktop to the gate that led to the parking lot. More children started running out from inside as she unlatched the gate and shut it quickly behind her. She cast one last glance back at Henry, watching for a second as he packed up his lunch and moved to sit under a tree as a few other boys came to the picnic bench.

Emma walked around the block and got into the cruiser. She turned to look back at Riley who was sitting in the backseat coloring in a book she’d picked up for her that morning at the store after breakfast, oblivious to what was going on all around her.

“He didn’t give you the book?” Beth asked.

“He doesn’t have it.”

“Did Regina—”

“Dr. Hopper took it from him last night.”

“Oh. That sucks. What now, Em?”

Emma took the aviators off and placed them on the dashboard before she pulled her hair out of the tight ponytail. “I don’t know,” she said after a moment. “He knew it was me, not you.”

“Of course he did. The kid is smart. Besides, you’re not very convincing as me, you know.”

“We’re identical twins.”

“Not so much,” Beth chuckled lightly and she reached over to wipe at the makeup on Emma’s chin. “You talk differently. Walk different. You also smile differently. Identical in nature, sure, but not nurture. I told you he’d figure it out. How long did it take him?”

“A few minutes. After I took the sunglasses off, but I think he knew before that.”

“You only took one cookie, didn’t you?”

“He told me to only take one!”

“He always says that,” Beth laughed. “And I always take two and break one in half. It’s kind of our thing.”

“Now you tell me,” Emma muttered. “How’s Riley been?”

“Fine, she’s been coloring since you left. Haven’t heard a peep out of her,” Beth replied as she turned over the engine and slipped the gear into drive. “Can I drop you off somewhere? If I don’t show up at the station soon, Graham is gonna make me do a mountain of paperwork this afternoon.”

“The inn is fine,” Emma said. “I need to make some phone calls. My boss has been riding my ass about coming in to sign a new contract. Pretty sure since I didn’t show up yesterday I’m out of a job now.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Do you want to meet up later?” Beth asked as she drove down the street, heading in the direction of the bed and breakfast. “Not for drinks or anything,” she added when Emma didn’t answer. “Maybe for dinner?”

“At the diner?”

“I’m sure you’re sick of eating there by now,” Beth laughed and she came to a stop at a stop sign. “How about you two come over for dinner at my place? Mary Margaret is making shepherd’s pie tonight. It’s kind of one of her specialties really and she always makes way too much. We’re eating leftovers for days every time she makes it.”

“Are you sure that’ll be okay with her?”

“Of course it will. You’re family.”

Family. Emma wasn’t sure how she felt about that word being associated with Beth, but it didn’t stop that feeling of hope stirring from deep inside, hope she had learned how to ignore and let go of a long time ago in order to keep that disappointment from crushing her heart and soul over and over again.

She didn’t know Beth well enough yet to consider her family even though they were sisters. Blood didn’t make a family. Emma knew that even though she’d never had a real family before aside from her own daughter.

Emma promised Beth she’d think about coming around for dinner and let her know before four. She didn’t say anything else as she got Riley out of the backseat and then carried her piggyback style up to the inn. Emma walked in and let Riley down to her feet slowly when she saw the old woman standing behind the desk and sorting through a pile of papers.

“Hey,” Emma smiled at her, but the friendly smile was not returned. “Everything all right?”

“I’m afraid not,” she replied. “I need the key to the room you’ve been staying in this week.”

“What? Why?”

She shook her head and removed her glasses, allowing them to hang down from the chain around her neck. “We don’t allow fugitives to stay here.”

“I’m not—” Emma stopped when the woman held out a copy of the Storybrooke Mirror. “What?” Emma took the paper from her, shocked to see her old mug shot on the front page along with a lengthy story below it. “This is ridiculous.”

“Not hardly,” the woman said and she glared at Emma pointedly. “You may gather your things, but I want you to leave.”

“Where are we supposed to stay?”

“Not my problem. I’ll give you ten minutes and if you don’t leave, I’ll be forced to call the Sheriff and have you and your daughter escorted off the premises immediately.”

“Right, okay,” Emma said and she reached for Riley’s hand. “I’ll be out in less than ten minutes, ma’am. No need to call the Sheriff.”

Emma hurried up the stairs as much as she could with Riley walking beside her. She didn’t have much to grab, just Riley’s backpack and their toothbrushes out of the bathroom. She made sure she didn’t leave anything behind before she scooped Riley up into her arms and headed back downstairs. She didn’t say a word to the old woman behind the counter as she dropped the key on the desk.

Once she was outside, panic hit her. She was stuck in a strange, small town without a working car and now without a place for her and Riley to stay until she could leave. It wasn’t as if she’d been in a similar situation before, but it was different because she was in an unfamiliar place and she had found a part of her family she had once looked for so long ago.

“Mommy? Where we going?”

“I don’t know, baby girl,” Emma said softly as she looked into her daughter’s curious eyes. “Are you hungry?” She asked and Riley shook her head no. “Do you want to go to the park?” Another shake of her head. “What do you want to do?”

“Nap.”

Emma frowned. There wasn’t any place for them to go, no place for her young daughter to rest her head and sleep peacefully for an hour or two. Emma walked down the street and stopped when she saw the box for the local paper. After feeding in a few quarters, she pulled out a copy, careful not to let Riley see her picture on the front page before she tucked it into Riley’s backpack.

She didn’t know what she was going to do and Riley was increasingly becoming irritated because she was tired. Emma made it just a dozen steps down the sidewalk before she pulled out her phone and found Beth’s number in her contacts.

“Hey, it’s me,” Emma said once Beth answered a few rings later. “I’ve got a bit of a problem. I just got kicked out of the inn. Can you come and pick us up? I’ll try to explain what just happened as best as I can.”

[X]

Regina was furious. She hadn’t given Sidney Glass permission to run the story on Emma Swan’s past or her criminal history. Days ago, she would’ve been all for it, but it was different now. She was no longer set on using revenge or blackmail to get rid of the woman. She had a different plan in place, but Sidney had run the story at the last minute very early that morning. Regina hadn’t even found out until she went to pick up a coffee to go at Granny’s and saw someone reading the paper with Emma’s old mug shot plastered on the front page.

If Henry saw the article in the paper, and there was a high chance he would before she could somehow hide it from him, he would accuse of her being behind it, accuse her of trying to push Emma Swan out of his life, and the hatred he’d developed towards her would only deepen.

“Madam Mayor?”

Regina spun on her heels at the sound of Sidney’s voice. She growled low in her throat as he nonchalantly approached her. He looked smug and she was now beyond furious. “You,” she said lowly as she clenched a fist at her side, wishing more than ever for her magic to return so she could crush him like a little bug. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was merely trying to solve your problem, your majesty. Give it another day and I am sure this woman will be the least of your problems and just a far-fetched, annoying memory that you will—”

“Do you have any idea what you have done?”

“Yes, I did as you asked me to, my Queen.”

“What I asked you?” Regina clenched her fists tighter at her side before she lifted her right hand and slapped Sidney hard across the face. “I came to you for advice. A poor judgment call on my end. I did not give you permission to run this piece!”

“You asked me to find information on this Swan woman, and I did as I was asked, my Queen.”

“I did not—”

“It’ll run her straight out of town,” Sidney continued. “Isn’t that what you wanted most of all? To be rid of her?”

“No.”

“No?”

“I should have known better than to trust you, Sidney,” Regina said lowly. “Get out of my office. Now.”

“You beckoned me here, your majesty.”

“And now I am telling you to leave!”

Sidney just bowed slightly as he backed away. “As you wish.”

Regina growled in frustration and stormed over to the door after Sidney had walked out and she slammed it hard. She picked up the copy of the Mirror and read through the article Sidney had written up on Emma Swan’s past and her time in prison. She wasn’t sure how much was the truth and how much was fabricated, but she knew one thing for certain; she needed to find a way to retract the story even if it was a little too late.

The phone on her desk began to ring and she stormed over to answer it. “What?” She asked sharply. When nobody responded, she took a deep steadying breath. “Who is this?”

She heard a click and she hung up the phone, shaking her head as she knew it was likely a wrong number or some kids playing a joke as they did from time to time. She walked over to the window that overlooked the back lawn behind the town hall and she stared at her beloved apple tree and the few apples that were still left on the branches.

The tree had been a part of her life far longer than anything and anyone else. It symbolized a lot of things for her, but mostly it just reminded her of the life she once had and how much she never wanted to go back to that period in her life at any cost.

It also held a lot of memories for her there in Storybrooke too. She remembered when Henry was still a baby and how delighted he had been every time he pulled one of the apples off the tree. Even as he got older, it had become somewhat of a tradition for them to pick the apples off the tree together when they were ripe and ready for harvest. It had been a long time since they’d done that, the novelty of it having long since worn off for Henry. His interest in picking the apples off the tree had deterred into nothing soon after he entered the second grade and comic books suddenly became much more interesting than spending time with him mother picking apples.

Those memories held a special place in Regina’s heart, but thinking of them now only caused her heart to feel as if it was about to shatter into a million little pieces.

If Henry found out about the story in the paper and believed she was behind it, she’d never have a chance to make any new memories with her son and all she’d have was the memories she was so desperately trying to hold on to now.

The phone rang again and she turned to look at it for a moment before walking over to her desk and picked up the receiver. “Hello, Mayor Mills speaking.”

“Madam Mayor,” the sheriff responded. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.”

“Not at all. What can I do for you, Sheriff?”

“I just received a call from Mrs. Lucas,” he said. “Regarding our newest visitor in town, Emma Swan.”

“What of her, Sheriff?”

“You’ve seen the paper?” He asked and Regina sighed. “It seems that Mrs. Lucas has kicked her out of the inn. Something about not harboring criminals.”

“I don’t understand how that concerns me, Sheriff.”

“I thought you may want to be aware of what happened this morning, ma’am. I know this woman is a bit of a…problem for you at the moment.”

“Do not worry about this woman or if she’s a problem for me, Sheriff. I _can_ handle things on my own,” Regina replied, fighting the urge to snap at the man over the phone. “Is that all?”

“When would you like me to send the paperwork over?”

“Tomorrow morning is fine, Sheriff. Have Deputy Crane bring it over, will you?” Regina asked knowing it was likely the only way she would see the woman and not get her confused with her twin as she had the night before at the bar.

Regina hung up the phone, her frustration mounting more so than it had been before that phone call. She needed to get out of her office for a little while, clear her mind. She had a meeting with Gold at three, but it wasn’t too important that she couldn’t reschedule for another day. She had regular meetings with Gold over some of his properties and the tenants that resided in his rentals. She was just so tired of helping him find ways to work around the law just so he could stay in control, essentially own most of the town and the people that owed him rent and other duties Regina pretended to turn a blind eye to most of the time.

Regina packed up her briefcase and grabbed her purse before switching her phone to the out of office message. After locking up her office, she headed out of the town hall and out the back door. She barely took three steps before she stopped short. Sitting just under her beloved apple tree was none other than Emma Swan and her young daughter.

Her stomach fluttered just at the sight of the woman, something that never happened when she saw Elizabeth or anyone else for that matter. Regina smoothed a hand down the front of her blouse before pulling her wool coat a little tighter around her. She started to walk across the lawn towards them and she didn’t have to force the smile that slipped out as Emma turned to look at her.

“Miss Swan, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Regina asked.

“Oh, we were just…passing by,” Emma said as she stood up from the ground and wiped her jeans. “If we’re trespassing—”

“You’re not, this is public property,” Regina replied easily.

“Can we pick apples?” The little girl asked as she stared up at Regina with a sugary sweet smile. “Are we allowed?”

“Yes, dear, of course you can pick one. I grow them myself.”

“You do?” The child looked amazed at that and Regina nodded as she bent down to get to her level. “I can pick one?”

“Yes, you may pick one,” Regina said and she dropped her purse and her briefcase to the ground. “Here, I’ll help you.”

“Are you sure?” Emma asked as Regina picked the little girl up with ease. “She doesn’t even like apples.”

“I do too!” She pouted and she tapped Regina on the shoulder. “I like apples.”

“Me too, dear. Here, reach out and grab that one,” she said as she motioned to the closest one and she was suddenly reminded of all those times she’d lifted Henry up to pick one of the apples for himself. Her stomach fluttered once again as she put the little girl down a moment later. “Wipe it off before you take a bite, dear.”

“Thanks,” Emma said and Regina turned to smile at her. “We didn’t mean to intrude or anything.”

“You’re not intruding,” Regina replied and she bent down to pick up her things from the ground. “As I said, this is public property. Though I am glad you asked before taking it upon yourself to pick apples from my tree.”

“Mommy says it’s polite to ask first.”

“Your mother is right,” Regina smiled down at the little girl and the smile she got in return reminded her so much of Henry when he was that small. “I heard you were prohibited from staying at the inn,” she said quietly to Emma. “How unfortunate.”

“Yeah,” Emma shrugged as she scratched the back of her neck. “It was pretty _unfortunate_ some stuff in my past was spread around town and I’ve been here what, a handful of days?”

“I assure you, that is going to be taken care of and the man responsible is going to pay for his lapse in proper judgment.”

“Great.”

“Are you busy at the moment, Miss Swan?”

“Not at all, why?”

“Perhaps we can go for a coffee?” Regina asked and Emma looked at her incredulously. “I only thought you may want to talk about Henry, that is, if you’re interested in hearing some stories about him?”

Emma looked hesitant and Regina fully expected a refusal to her sudden offer to go for coffee. But when Emma’s young daughter tugged on her hand, Emma turned to Regina with a slight nod.

Regina tried to desperately ignore the continuous fluttering in her stomach and heart as she turned to lead the way across the lawn with Emma and her young daughter following close behind.


	13. Chapter 13

There was no way to describe the kind of day she’d been having, but having coffee with Regina Mills at the diner was certainly the very last thing she expected to be doing that day.

She had one less thing to worry about as Beth and Mary Margaret offered them a place to stay for the night until Emma’s car was finished being fixed by the next afternoon. She’d be back in Boston on Saturday. But a part of her, as she sat across the small table from Regina, didn’t want to leave Storybrooke just yet. There were a lot of answers she needed to figure out first and she hadn’t really gotten anywhere as Henry no longer had the book that started him on his quest to find her.

Emma sipped on her second coffee since they’d gotten to the diner an hour ago and she couldn’t help but stare at Regina for a few seconds too long, remembering just how it had felt to be kissed so ferociously by the woman just the night before. She had never been kissed like that before and no matter how much she tried not to think about it, it was proving to be impossible with the woman sitting in front of her.

One other thing Emma noticed shortly after they had sat down at the table near the front window was the fact that almost everyone in the diner was staring at them, some obvious, other’s not. Emma fiddled with the napkin in front of her before taking another tentative sip of her coffee.

She turned her attention to Riley, making sure she was drinking the chocolate milk that Ruby had brought her. Riley was just a little too invested in her coloring book to pay much attention to anything else at the moment, including the few stories Regina had shared about Henry when he had been Riley’s age. She reached out to run her fingers through Riley’s soft curls and she could feel Regina’s eyes on her, watching her, watching them.

“I meant to ask, where are you two staying tonight?”

“With Beth and her roommate,” Emma replied. “They offered. Well, I called Beth after we got kicked out of the inn, but they offered us a place to stay tonight.”

Regina none too subtly rolled her eyes. “I see. I suppose it is better than nothing at all, hmm?”

“We’ve been in worst positions,” Emma replied quietly, not so sure why she was being open with the woman. “We always figure things out. One way or another.”

“And you two are heading back home tomorrow?”

“Yeah, as soon as my car is fixed, we’re leaving.”

“It’s sure taken them long enough to fix it.”

“You’re telling me,” Emma laughed bitterly. “At least I’m not being charged extra or the amount they originally quoted me.”

“It is a pity I didn’t know sooner,” Regina mused.

“What, you would’ve used your power as the mayor to get them to fix it quicker?”

“Possibly.”

“You can do that?”

“You have no idea what I am capable of, dear.”

Emma felt a sensual shiver run through her body at the husky tone of Regina’s voice. It was hard to believe this was the same woman she met the night she brought Henry home. Something had changed and Emma was beginning to believe that change had come the night before when Regina had mistaken her as Beth and kissed her.

She rubbed her palms against her jean-clad thighs and took a few deep breaths. It was impossible to hide the effect that Regina had on her and the sinfully sweet smile that curled over Regina’s red lips caused another sensual shiver to run through her body unexpectedly. Emma wet her suddenly dry lips and exhaled sharply and tried to ignore the intense look that Regina was giving her.

Tried and failed. Miserably.

“Any plans on coming back to Storybrooke in the future?”

“Why, you want a heads up so you can find a way to keep me out of your town, Madam Mayor?”

“Not at all, Miss Swan, quite the opposite in fact.”

“Oh?”

“You sound surprised.”

“I am,” Emma laughed lightly. “Before last night, you wanted me out of your town and out of your son’s life.”

_What changed_ , was what Emma really wanted to ask, but she didn’t let those words slip past her lips in fear of ruining what had been a good hour with the woman. A part of her knew what had changed. It had been that hot, intoxicating kiss they’d shared before they’d come to blows the night before.

“Henry is unhappy,” Regina stated. “He went to find you for a reason, one he likely believes would’ve made him happier than he’s been as of late. I have been thinking a lot, Miss Swan, and I believe if I allow you into his life, his happiness can and will return.”

“Emma,” she said as she pointed to her chest. “My name is Emma. Pretty sure we’re past the formalities after last night.”

Regina stammered and her cheeks flared a soft shade of pink. She tried to cover up her embarrassment by turning in her chair to flag Ruby down to bring over some more coffee. When Regina turned to face Emma again a moment later, the color had faded from her cheeks and a sly grin had slid into place.

“Am I being presumptuous that you want to be a small part of his life, _Emma_?”

“No,” Emma replied. “But I live in Boston. I—I have a life there. I have Riley. I—”

“I’m not saying you can have weekend visitations with him. I wouldn’t want Henry to be disruptive of your life,” Regina clarified and she cleared her throat. “I wouldn’t be opposed to phone calls, letters even. If it makes Henry happy, who am I to deny him?”

“Phone calls, sure,” Emma nodded. “I wouldn’t mind that. He seems like a good kid, Regina, he’s just a little lost right now. That book of his isn’t doing him any favors either.”

“No, it definitely isn’t.”

“Uh, would you mind watching Riley for a minute?” Emma asked as she stood up from her seat. “I need to make a quick trip to the bathroom.”

“Of course not, dear,” Regina replied. “She’s quite occupied at the moment with that coloring book of hers.”

“Right. Thanks. I’ll be right back.”

Emma quickly made her way back to the bathroom and she stood at the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror, and took a few deep, steadying breaths. Just as she was about to turn the water on, her phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the number on the screen before answering.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Emma, it’s Michael Tillman. From the Marine Garage. I just wanted you to know that your car is ready to go.”

“I thought you said it wouldn’t be done until tomorrow?” Emma replied and she laughed lightly. “Can’t complain, can I? When can I come around to pick it up?”

“We close at four today,” he said and she glanced at her watch on her left wrist. “If you could come in before then—”

“Of course,” Emma cut him off. “I’ll be in as soon as I can.”

“Perfect.”

Emma returned to the table a few minutes later to find Regina sitting in her seat beside Riley and helping her color one of the new pages she had just started. It gave her a different perspective of the woman and a glimpse into what she had been like while Henry had been growing up. It gave her a peace of mind knowing that she _had_ given Henry his best chance when she gave him up. Henry didn’t know how lucky he was to have a mother that loved and cared for him the way that Regina clearly did. He was a little lost at the moment, lost and confused, and Emma knew she’d have to find a way to make him realize how much his delusions were hurting his mother and their relationship.

But first, she needed to read this book for herself, she needed to see what he was seeing and understand why he believed it was real. She also needed to understand why Beth believed it too because it all seemed so ridiculous just to think that any of it was the truth. It was hard to believe that the woman in front of her coloring with Riley was some kind of an evil queen from a different world.

“Good news,” Emma said as she sat down and Regina and Riley both looked over at her. “I got a call while I was in the bathroom. My car is ready to be picked up now.”

“That’s wonderful,” Regina smiled.

“We go home now, Mommy?” Riley asked hopefully.

“Tomorrow, Riles.”

“Why?”

“Because I—I thought we could spend some time with Beth and maybe Henry too?” Emma asked, but the Henry part was more directed at Regina. “Besides,” she continued when Regina didn’t say a word, “it’ll be late by the time we get home tonight and we already have a place to stay with Beth and Mary Margaret, remember, Riley?”

“Yeah.”

“Regina, thank you for the coffee and the stories you told me about Henry,” Emma smiled sincerely at the woman. “I’m happy he ended up with someone who loves him as much as you do.”

Regina returned the sincere smile. “I would be more than happy to share more stories with you, Emma, if that is what you’d like,” she said and Emma nodded as she tried to gather up Riley’s crayons and put them back into the box. “Can we exchange numbers in case I do not see you before you leave town?”

Emma grabbed a napkin and with the red crayon she had in her hand, she scribbled down her cell number and handed it to Regina. Regina followed suit, using the same red crayon to write her own number down and she smirked as she handed it to Emma. Regina reached into her purse and pulled out a few bills before dropping them down on the table near her empty coffee mug. Regina said not another word as she left the diner and Emma finished gathering up Riley’s crayons before grabbing Riley’s backpack and slung it over her shoulder.

For once, Riley didn’t put up much of a fuss about having to walk again. They’d done a lot of it since they’d been in Storybrooke and Emma was happy she’d have her car back and working once again. She still found it so very odd that of all the years she’d been driving the old Bug, that it died there in Storybrooke. As she walked up to the garage holding tight onto Riley’s hand, she smiled when she saw her Bug parked just out front, the body gleaming in ways it hadn’t in all the time it had been hers.

“Hey,” Emma said to Billy as he walked out from behind another car parked inside the garage. He wiped his greasy hands on his rag that hung out of his pocket. “Michael called and—”

“Yep,” he nodded. “I’ll go get the keys.”

“Thanks.”

“You’ll have to sign a few papers,” he added as he motioned for her to follow him into the office. “Fixed up the ding in the door too,” he said as he grabbed the keys off the desk and handed them to her. “No extra charge for that and the wax job.”

“Appreciate it.”

She quickly signed the papers and led Riley over to the car, feeling a bit excited like it was Christmas morning and she was getting the one thing she’d been waiting forever for. She rounded the car, admiring the shine it had before she opened the passenger door and pulled the seat forward to allow Riley to crawl into the back seat.

“You know, there are laws in place,” Beth drawled out as she startled Emma by walking up behind her. “You need to have this cute little girl in a car seat.”

“Hey,” Emma laughed lightly. “I know. I was going to call you just now and—”

“I was passing by,” Beth said and she motioned to the cruiser. “I have her car seat in the trunk.”

“Thanks.”

“So, I take it you’re not staying over tonight?” Beth asked as she and Emma walked over to the cruiser and Beth popped the trunk. “I mean, now that you have your car fixed, there’s no reason for you to stay here, is there?”

“It’ll be late by the time we get home,” Emma said as she took the car seat out of the trunk. “I thought we’d leave tomorrow morning.”

“So, you’re still staying with us?”

“Yeah,” Emma smiled. “We’re still staying with you tonight.”

“Perfect! I was thinking of picking up a couple of pizzas,” Beth said with a wide smile as she shut the trunk and followed Emma back over to the Bug. “Unless you want something else?”

“Pizza is fine.”

“We could always get something else if Riley doesn’t like pizza?”

“Riley _loves_ pizza,” Emma laughed. “It’s a nice treat for her.”

“Just Riley?” Beth asked and Emma cast her a glance that caused them both to laugh.

“I thought Mary Margaret was making shepherd’s pie tonight?”

“She’s covering at the hospital. She’s a volunteer there with a few other teachers. One of them is too sick. It’ll probably be just the three of us until eight. If you want to head over to the loft, I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Here,” Beth said as she pulled out a set of keys from her jacket pocket. “Make yourselves at home, yeah?”

Beth walked away, answering the radio call that came in. Emma watched her hop in the cruiser and drive off before she put the car seat in the back and got Riley strapped in.

It was a short drive to the loft and Emma parked in the only visitor spot beside Beth’s motorcycle. Riley was already getting fussy as she was tired and was in definite need of a nap before dinner. Emma carried Riley up to the loft and laid the tired toddler on the couch, covering her with one of the throw blankets before she settled down on the armchair near her.

It wasn’t long before Emma felt her eyes growing heavy and her body giving into the inevitable pull of sleep.

[X]

Beth took the long way back from the call she’d received to check in on Mrs. Green about a “prowler” in her garden. The prowler ended up being the neighbor’s cat and Beth had chased it down before grabbing a hold of it and returned it to its owner.

“Just another _exciting_ day in Storybrooke,” she muttered under her breath as she took a right onto Mifflin Street and slowed down as she passed the Mills’ house.

She spotted Regina’s car parked in the driveway and she sighed heavily as she came to a stop just at the side of the road by the front gate. Their relationship had changed in the last couple of days and Beth had no doubt it was because of Emma Swan. She wasn’t sure exactly what Emma had to do with it, but she had a feeling there was more to it than either women were letting on. She also knew that Emma knew about her and Regina, about the arrangement they had going on for many years. She should’ve never told Emma about her and Regina, but it was too late for that now.

Beth got out of the cruiser and walked around to the front gate. The hinges squeaked as she opened it and she walked up to the front door, knocking tentatively three times before she stepped back and slipped her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. After a minute, Regina opened the door and she looked less than pleased to find Beth standing there in front of her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d stop by for a little chat.”

“Henry is home, Deputy Crane.”

“I know,” she replied. “I just stopped by for a chat, not…” She trailed off as she raised an eyebrow at Regina. “Can I come in?”

“I suppose. I’m cooking dinner. Join me in the kitchen?”

Beth followed Regina inside and into the kitchen, noticing that Henry’s schoolbooks were on the dining room table but Henry was nowhere to be seen. Once inside the kitchen, she was greeted by the intoxicating aroma of chicken cooking in spices and fresh vegetables being steamed on the stove.

“What can I do for you, Deputy?”

“I’m off-duty, Regina. You can call me Beth.”

Regina sighed and turned to check on the steaming vegetables and Beth kept her distance, choosing to lean against the island counter just a few feet away. Her eyes roamed over Regina’s backside and she subtly licked her lips as she knew just what was hidden beneath Regina’s conservative clothes. She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts because that was not what she’d come there for at all.

“Would you like to stay for dinner, Elizabeth?”

“No,” she replied as Regina turned to look at her. “I got a couple of pizzas waiting to be picked up, but thanks for the invitation, Regina. Another time.”

“I suppose so,” Regina said and she grabbed the dishtowel to wiped her hands. “Well, what is it that you came here for?”

“I’m just gonna come out and say it,” Beth said and though she normally felt confident around the older woman, her confidence was faltering under Regina’s hard, cold stare. “Did something happen between you and Emma?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Regina replied instantly. “We simply went for coffee this afternoon at the diner and talked a little bit about Henry. Why do you ask?”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why would you go for coffee with her?” Beth asked. “I thought you didn’t want her around, Regina?”

“I don’t. I didn’t,” she corrected herself smoothly. “But, I have been thinking and if allowing her to be a small part of Henry’s life makes him happy, then who am I to deny him that?”

“Regina, you were afraid that—”

“I know what I was afraid of, Miss Crane,” Regina said, her voice low and hard as steel. “Things change.”

“Do they?”

Beth knew Regina, at least she liked to think she did after all the years they’d been carrying on their affair for. She knew Regina hated change, she dreaded it deeply and allowing Emma into Henry’s life and ultimately hers was not a small change. It was a _huge_ one. Looking at the woman in front of her now, Beth could sense that something truly had changed and she couldn’t quite figure out just what that something was.

But there was another thing she could see. It was that challenging glint in Regina’s eyes that she was so used to seeing that was gone almost entirely. That glint that always came with a hint of burning desire and arousal with promises of nothing but hours of unadulterated passion behind closed doors. It wasn’t there, not even a speck of it, and it made Beth feel a little nervous and a little bit intimidated too.

“I need to finish preparing dinner and if you are not staying, kindly let yourself out, Miss Crane,” Regina said, keeping her voice low as she walked up to Beth and quickly closed the distance between them. “We can continue this chat later if you prefer?”

“Emma and Riley are staying with us tonight.”

“I know, she told me as much over coffee.”

“Right.”

“Is there something else on your mind?” Regina asked and she was so close now that Beth could feel her hot breath on her lips and it stirred something deep inside of her. “Something else you’d like to say to me? Hmm?”

“No,” Beth breathed out and she shuddered as a wave of arousal coursed through her body the moment that Regina placed her hands on her hips. “No—nothing else, your majesty.”

“Are you sure?”

Beth wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure at all, but she nodded her head and closed her eyes as Regina pressed her lips lightly to hers. The difference was felt immediately. There was nothing behind the kiss, nothing, and it left her feeling cold, empty, and confused. Even Regina had a perplexed look on her face as she pulled back, but neither said a word to one another as Regina turned her attention back to the stove and Beth quickly walked out of the kitchen.

“Beth?” Henry called out as he came down the stairs just as she passed by. “What are you doing here?”

“Nothing, Hen. Just came by to talk to your mom for a minute, but she’s busy making dinner.”

“Beth?” Henry said as he followed her to the front door and reached out for her hand to stop her from fleeing. “Why did Emma come to school today pretending to be you?”

“She wanted to talk to you,” Beth replied quietly. “Thought it was the only way your mom wouldn’t find out.”

“She asked me about my book,” Henry frowned. “I don’t have it anymore. Dr. Hopper has it.”

“You didn’t ask him for it back?”

“I did, but he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for me to have it right now.”

“It’s just a book.”

“You know that it’s not just a book,” Henry whispered. “I need to get it back, Beth. I think he might end up destroying it or worse.”

“What would be worse than him destroying it, Hen?”

“He’ll give it to _her_ ,” he frowned. “I don’t want her to see it.”

“What do you think is gonna happen if she sees it?”

“I don’t know, but I know that bad things will happen,” he replied. “Emma is the savior, Beth, the one in the story. If _she_ finds out that Emma is, she’ll stop her from breaking the curse!”

“How are you sure that Emma is the savior?”

“Because she’s in the book, Beth.”

“And I’m not.”

“No, you’re not. Nobody wrote about you in the book. I didn’t even know about you until I met Emma. I still don’t know why you aren’t in the book.”

“It’s just a book, Henry.”

“No, it’s not, and I know you know it’s not, Beth.”

“I gotta go,” she said when she saw Regina hovering just inside the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room, watching them. “You should finish up your homework before dinner.”

“Beth—”

“Later, Henry.”

Beth was out the door before Henry could stop her again. She didn’t even look back as she walked quickly down to the cruiser. She ran a hand through her hair and got into the cruiser. Her phone buzzed the second she shut the door and she checked the message that was from Regina requesting for her to come around after ten that night to continue their chat.

Against her better judgment, she responded to Regina telling her to expect her there. With a groan, she pulled away from the curb and headed for the pizza place to pick up the pies she’d ordered over an hour ago. She knew she should’ve ignored the text from Regina or even told her no, but Regina had been under her skin for far too long and despite the nature of their relationship, Beth did have feelings for the woman, feelings she couldn’t quite figure out, and feelings she was sure would always linger long after their affair eventually ended.

She needed to end it. She knew that for a long time that it shouldn’t have gone on for as long as it had, but Regina Mills was addictive and the sex, the games they played together, was beyond amazing and unlike anything she’d ever experienced in her life.

Yet, as amazing as it was, it was wrong in so many other ways.

She saw that now that she had met the twin sister she never knew existed. She was seeing more now and she was realizing that she should have seen all those signs a long, long time ago.

_Better late than never_ , she thought as she came to a stop just outside the pizza place and picked up her phone out of the cup holder. After taking a few deep breaths, she typed out a message to Regina and hit send. She left her phone in the car and she could hear it start ringing as soon as she shut the door behind her.

[X]

Regina shook her head and hit the end button on her phone. Her anger bubbled deep inside of her, but she tried endlessly to remain calm. Things were different now. The changes she had been so afraid of before were already taking place long before Emma Swan showed up in her town, long before Henry was given the book that led him to believe everything she’d kept from him all of his life.

As afraid as she had been earlier in the week about the changes that were happening, so wasn’t nearly as afraid anymore because she _knew_ she no longer had any control over keeping the curse from breaking. The only control she had thought she still had was over Elizabeth Crane, but after the last text message she received, she knew she had lost that too.

Regina took a few deep breaths before she picked up her bowl of salad she had gone into the kitchen to fetch while Henry ate at the dining room table and she joined him, plastering a forced smile on her face as she sat down across the round table from him. It had been weeks since they’d had a normal dinner just like they always used to, weeks since Henry had talked to her, weeks since he barely even looked at her without that lingering malice in his eyes.

It took one look at her son for her to know that she had to put her plan into motion. She had to tell him that she was going to allow his birth mother to be a small part of his life if that is what he truly wanted. She was going to allow it in hopes that their relationship would change and go back to where it had been before, or at the very least, almost where it had been. She could never expect things to go back to what their normal was, she wasn’t naïve enough to think that way, and she knew her son well enough to know that if she wasn’t fully honest with him, he’d know.

“I spoke with Miss—with Emma,” she said, correcting herself with a slight cough. “We had coffee this afternoon. I have decided that—”

“You told her to leave again, didn’t you?”

“No,” Regina said as she stabbed some of the lettuce with her fork and lifted it, pausing mid-air. “I didn’t tell her to leave, Henry.”

“What did you tell her then?”

“I merely told her that I would allow you two to keep in touch. Perhaps even visit once in a while.”

“What?” Henry asked in disbelief. “You said that?”

“I did, yes.”

“Why?”

Regina raised an eyebrow before taking a bite of her salad and gently placed the fork down in the bowl. “I am trying, Henry. I’m trying to respect your wishes, your desire to know your birth mother. You do have to understand that she gave you up for a reason, dear. It wasn’t because she didn’t want you.”

Henry stared down at his plate and stabbed his chicken breast with his fork and jabbed at the other end with his knife. “She has Riley now. Why did she keep her and not me?”

“Circumstances change,” Regina said after a moment. “Sometimes we have to make choices that are right at the moment but may not be right later on in life. Do you understand?”

“I guess.”

“Can we talk about how you feel about Emma keeping her daughter and not you?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“Archie asked me the same questions already.”

“I see.”

“I’m not hungry,” Henry said and the sound of his knife and fork clattering on the plate made Regina jump a little. “Can I go to my room now?”

“Henry—”

“Please?”

Regina gritted her teeth and breathed in deeply. The last thing she needed to do was to get angry and stern with him, especially in such a vulnerable moment. She took another breath as she stabbed at her salad with her fork and lifted it to take another bite. The way that her son was staring at her shouldn’t have made her nervous or even scared, but that’s all she was feeling in that very moment. She was losing him, losing everything she had, all the trust he had in her and whatever was left, and it was so very clear to see in the way he just looked at her.

“If I told you the truth, would you listen to me?”

“The truth about what?”

“Everything you believe to be true,” Regina said quietly and her stomach dropped as she said the words.

“About the curse?”

“Yes. About the curse. About me. About…everything.”

“Everything?”

“Yes,” Regina said without a second of hesitation. “Everything, Henry. Everything about the curse, about myself, and anything else you want to know. No more secrets.”

“None?”

“None,” Regina promised. “Where do we start? At the beginning?”

She didn’t know. What was the beginning? When she decided to cast the curse she’d been given in an attempt to ruin everyone else’s happy ending so she could get her own or was the beginning back long before she had learned magic? The book Henry had, it never told her story, the story of just who she had been before she was the Evil Queen.

She took a deep breath and cast a glance over at the table where she kept a decanter of her cider. She frowned. She didn’t need any liquid courage to tell her son her story, the real story. She took another deep breath, pushed her salad bowl a little bit away from her and folded her hands on top of her table.

“It is a very long story, dear,” she said and Henry, suddenly interested in every word she had to say, leaned forward intently. “Though I am not sure I can tell you everything in detail, but I will tell you all that I can. Are you ready?”

“I’m ready.”

“When I was a young girl,” Regina began, “I lived a fairly controlled life. It wasn’t simple or lavish, but my mother tried to give me everything that she ever wanted for herself. Life was fairly isolated and the only people I ever spoke with were my parents and the hired help around our home.”

Henry looked at her in fascination. “You had hired help?”

“We were nearly royalty, dear, so yes, we had hired help,” Regina replied. “Growing up, I never had any friends. Mother would not allow that.”

“Kind of like you don’t let me have any friends either.”

Regina faltered, her mouth dropping open and she closed it quickly. He was right. She never did let him have any friends, but her reasons were not the same as they had been with her own mother. Her reasons were to protect him from the curse, to keep it from him. It was silly to think that her son would grow up being completely oblivious to all that was around him since he’d always been a little too smart and observant for his own good.

“My mother groomed me my whole life to become a queen one day. When I disobeyed her or talked back, she used magic on me to get me to conform to her rules and expectations, and when I didn’t, I was punished severely,” Regina said and Henry frowned as she did. “It never mattered to her that I had my own dreams of a far different life, the only thing that ever mattered to her was that I one day become a queen.”

“You did, though, didn’t you?”

“Yes, under a very unfortunate circumstance.”

“What happened?”

“I was nineteen when I fell in love with the stable boy. His name was Daniel and we had plans to run away together and get married, live a life away from my mother, live a life filled with nothing but happiness and love.”

“What happened to him?”

“Snow White’s father had already asked for my hand in marriage after I saved Snow from her horse that had run wild with her on its back. Snow White saw Daniel and I together and she failed to keep it a secret. My mother killed him the night we were supposed to run away. She killed him right in front of me and forced me to marry the king just days later.”

“Is that why you wanted to capture and kill Snow White? Like in the book?”

“Yes, dear. But I didn’t get there for many years, not until after I killed the king and took control of the kingdom and Snow White had become a young woman.”

“You never did kill her,” Henry stated. “You cast the curse instead, didn’t you?”

“I did, yes.”

“And now we’re here,” he finished and she nodded. “Was the curse supposed to be different?”

“Yes, it was supposed to give me my happy ending, one of them at least,” she mused. “Watching others live out their lives without finding their happy ending was supposed to be enough. It wasn’t, though. I learned that fairly quickly, but then after years passed, I ended up adopting you and I started to see a different kind of happy ending was entirely possible for me.”

“By adopting me?”

“Yes, Henry. You made me feel complete the moment I first held you in my arms. You made me feel a love that I had not felt in a very long time, and you made my heart and soul feel full. You made me so very happy,” she smiled and she could feel the hot tears fill her eyes as she stared at her son. “I never wanted things to end up this way, Henry.”

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

“I don’t know how to make things better,” she admitted and though she hated the way her voice sounded when she was feeling weak and vulnerable, she had to remind herself that it was okay to feel that way in front of her own son. “I want us to be happy again, Henry, like we were before. How can we get there again?”

Henry stared at her for what felt like an eternity. She could almost see the wheels in his head turning and then, after he tapped his fingers on the table a few time, a smile began to curl over his lips that made Regina light right up.

“We have to break the curse.”

“How do we break the curse? I don’t have any magic here.”

“Simple, Mom,” Henry replied. “The Savior is supposed to be the one to break the curse, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then we have to make sure that Emma doesn’t leave Storybrooke until the curse is broken!”

“How do you propose that we do that?” Regina asked. “Emma is leaving tomorrow.”

Henry shrugged and slumped back in his chair. Regina knew from the look he had on his face that he truly didn’t know how to get Emma Swan to stay in Storybrooke either. Regina stared down at her salad, suddenly not feeling as hungry as she’d been before, nor did she feel the anger and frustration she’d felt when she had received Beth’s text message telling her she was not coming around at all that night as Regina had asked her to.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do, but I know we have to break the curse,” Henry stated. “We have to find a way to make Emma stay!”

“I think—” Regina cleared her throat as the ideas began to fill her mind quickly. “I think I have a few ideas, but I will need your help, Henry. I can’t do this without you.”

“Okay.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A double update today because I felt a little bad for not updating for a few weeks! Sorry! Hope you guys are sticking with me on this one, it's about to get interesting...

Regina woke up several times throughout the night, her dreams waking her up with her heart racing and her body covered in a light sheen of sweat each time.

The dreams felt far too real and far too confusing at the same time. Each time, just before she woke up with a jolt, she woke up in her dream in a strange bed, in a strange little barren room to endless echoes of screams bouncing off the dreary green walls. It wasn’t the unfamiliarity of the place in her dreams, it was the too real feeling of being restrained, it was the cuffs around her wrists and ankles biting into her chaffed skin, that made her wake up in a panic.

When she gave up, it was just before four. Each time she fell back asleep, the dreams had become more and more real and she woke up even more disoriented than the last time. It became a never-ending cycle and one she gave up on a little too late. It took her an hour after going about her usual morning routine to remember that it was the last Friday of the month and she always took that Friday off work and allowed Henry the afternoon off of school so that they could spend some quality time with one another.

It was going to be different this time. Instead of lunch at Granny’s and a trip to the store to buy new comic books they’d end up reading together afterward, they had some planning to do on how to keep Emma from leaving Storybrooke.

How different things were just from two days ago where Regina feared what Emma’s presence in Storybrooke would do to Henry, to the others she interacted with, and to the curse. The more she thought about it, the less she knew when things had changed exactly and the less she knew of when and why her thoughts and feelings had shifted too.

The thoughts about how much things had changed in a matter of day made her forget about her restless night and the dreams she’d had as she moved around the kitchen, wiping down the already pristinely clean counter while she waited for the coffee to brew. She wasn’t even bothered by the fact that Elizabeth had denied her their usual nightly encounter, though when her thoughts shifted to the other blonde woman who had become a fixture in her life, her body reminded her that it had not had the release it always so desperately needed and the release that only Elizabeth Crane had been able to give her over the years.

After Regina made her first cup of coffee, she retreated to the study and turned on the lamp on the desk, illuminating the dark room with a soft, warm glow. She sat down at her desk, sipping her hot coffee as she looked at the few papers she had neatly stacked just off to the side. She pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance at forgetting to get the work done, and as she kept her eyes closed, she felt the ghosting of restraints pull at her wrists and ankles. She snapped her eyes open and shook her head.

“It was only just a dream,” she murmured to herself. “Just a dream, Regina. Just a dream.”

[X]

Emma woke up with a start and she was breathing heavily as she tried to take in the unfamiliar surroundings of Beth and Mary Margaret’s loft. She groaned quietly as she sat up on the floor, her back aching from sleeping on the partially deflated air mattress all night, and she checked on Riley who was still sleeping soundly next to her on the couch.

Emma had always experienced vivid dreams, more so in a new and unfamiliar place, but never like she had just experienced. She had woken up in her dream in another unfamiliar place, in a too small bed with scratchy sheets and in a room with bland green walls and bars on the windows with a door that didn’t have a handle on the inside. It had been the echoes of screams she’d heard that had woken her up because it sounded so near yet so far, muted by the walls and the thick door.

She quietly made her way through the darkness to the bathroom by the kitchen and once the door was shut, she turned on the light, blinking to adjust to the difference and she turned on the tap, watching the water run for a moment before splashing some onto her face to wake her up properly.

As vivid as her dreams were, she usually dreamt of places she’d been before in the past, places that held nothing but unpleasant memories and sometimes good ones. Yet, the place she’d just been in her dream was not somewhere she’d been before, not in her waking world at least, and it left a feeling of hopelessness, loneliness lingering. It also had that lingering feeling of familiarity that left her feeling unsettled. Rattled.

A knock jarred her from her thoughts and she turned off the tap, using the hem of her white t-shirt to dab at her face as she opened it slowly.

“You’re up early,” Mary Margaret said quietly. “Would you like me to start some coffee?”

“Yeah, yeah that’d be great,” Emma nodded. “What would be even better is if I could get a clean towel? I really need to have a shower. Wakes me up properly, you know?”

“There is a stack over there,” Mary Margaret said as she pointed over at the stack of folded white towels on a small table in the corner of the bathroom. “Help yourself to whatever you need in here, Emma. But…” She trailed off and laughed awkwardly. “It is the only bathroom we have and Beth will be up soon.”

“I’ll be quick.”

“And Riley?”

“She won’t wake up for a while yet. That kid can sleep through just about anything really. You don’t need to worry about her.”

“Okay.”

Emma stayed true to her word, her shower quick and just under eight minutes. She was surprised to find clean clothes folded and laid out on the sink by the door when she stepped out of the tub, but never one to kick a gift-horse in the mouth, she dressed and walked out of the bathroom with the towel in hand, drying her hair.

“I guess one perk of having a twin is being the same size and never having to worry about not having clean clothes,” Emma chuckled lightly as she looked over at Mary Margaret. “Thanks.”

“It was Beth,” she replied as she cupped her mug with both hands and blew at the hot coffee just as Beth whizzed by and into the bathroom. “Right on schedule too.”

Emma laughed and noticed another mug on the counter. After draping the towel on the back of a chair at the table to dry, she added a little bit of milk and sugar to the coffee and picked it up, greedily sipping the hot liquid like it was her lifeline.

“Are you always up early?” Mary Margaret asked and Emma shrugged, taking another sip of her coffee before exhaling sharply.

“When I’m not in my own bed I’m always up early.”

The lie was easy enough. She did not want to discuss her dreams with a complete stranger and definitely not before seven in the morning either.

Mary Margaret smiled a little before placing her mug down on the counter and moved to grab another and poured what was left in the small pot of coffee in it. She poured a little milk and three spoonful’s of sugar and she just finished stirring it as the bathroom door opened. Emma watched as Beth walked out, rubbing at her eyes tiredly as she reached out for the mug that Mary Margaret held out towards her.

“Thanks, Mare.”

“What time do you have to be at the station?”

“Not until ten.”

“And you’re up this early why?” Mary Margaret asked and Emma watched as Beth blinked before shrugging her shoulders.

“No idea. Habit,” she said with another shrug before turning to Emma. “Why don’t we go for breakfast at the diner? That way we can spend a little time together before you and Riley leave? My treat?”

“Sure,” Emma said with a nod. “But you don’t have to pay for us, Beth. I already owe you enough as it is.”

“Don’t worry about it, Em. Pay me back whenever. Call it an incentive for you to come back to Storybrooke, yeah?”

Emma laughed. “Sure, if you say so.”

“Are you going to join us, Mare?”

“No, I’m volunteering at the hospital before school this morning,” Mary Margaret replied. “I always do on Friday morning.”

“She has a crush on the John Doe there,” Beth whispered but Mary Margaret heard it plain and clear, her face instantly red. “He’s been in a coma forever and nobody knows who he is.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t have a crush on him!” Mary Margaret exclaimed, the pitch in her voice giving it away that she was in complete denial. “He has nobody else and I leave him a flower just as I do with all of the other patients.”

“I think that’s why she’s always going there,” Beth chuckled and she blew a kiss at the cold, hard stare Mary Margaret gave her. “I saw him a few times when I was there. He is kind of cute, you know, for a coma patient and all.”

“He’s just a patient, like the others—”

“Nobody knows who he is, what his name is, where he’s from,” Beth continued. “Story is that Regina found him at the side of the road unconscious one night. He nearly died. He would’ve if it hadn’t been for her.”

“Is that right?” Emma asked. “She saved this guy?”

“Basically.”

“And you’ve got a crush on him?”

“I don’t!”

“Mare, the kid is still sleeping,” Beth hushed at her and Mary Margaret scoffed in annoyance. “And yes, she totally has a crush on John Doe!”

“I hate you.”

Emma loved the dynamic between Beth and Mary Margaret. They weren’t only roommates, they were best friends, practically family, and a part of her was so very envious of that. She’d never had a friend like that her whole life, she’d never stayed in one place long enough to have that. The night before had been filled with nothing but laughter and it made Emma crave to have that in her life too. Beth and Mary Margaret made her feel like she was a part of their little roommate family in a sense and it had been so effortless on their part. Riley even felt at home there with them and she knew that once they were back home in Boston, Riley would definitely miss them endlessly.

The plan was to get on the road before ten that morning and be back in Boston early in the afternoon, early enough that Emma hoped she could swing around to her boss’ office and hope to hell she still had a job. The week had been an interesting one to say the least, and as crazy as it had been from the moment Henry showed up at her door, she almost didn’t want the week and her time in Storybrooke to end just yet.

“Emma?”

Emma turned to look at Beth as she sipped her coffee. “Yeah?”

“Emma?” This time it wasn’t Beth speaking. Emma blinked a couple of times as the room started to become blurry. “Emma, open your eyes.”

“They are open!” Emma said, but her voice was muffled and her mouth suddenly felt dry.

“Emma?”

When Emma blinked, a blinding white light was suddenly shining in her eyes and her body felt heavy, sedated almost, and her mouth grew impossibly drier. She choked back a sob when she felt a needle slide into her arm and then the rush of liquid flowing into her vein. The light in her eyes suddenly disappeared and she blinked several times as the room came into focus.

“Emma?” An unfamiliar woman asked as she leaned in towards her. “There you are.”

“What?”

“Emma? Can you hear me?” She asked and Emma barely managed to nod her head, whatever had been injected into her body was making everything feel a thousand times heavier. “Do you know where you are, Emma?”

“N—no.”

The woman turned to look at the two men standing behind her and she shook her head. “Emma, you are at The Stonybrooke Institute. You have been here for a very long time. Do you remember why?”

“What?” Emma felt her heart begin to race at the woman’s words and she shook her head. “I’m dreaming.”

“Do you remember why you are here?”

“No. No. I’m dreaming. This is just a dream. Wake up,” she muttered under her breath. “You’re not real! This isn’t real!”

“Dr. Fuller, I don’t think the new medication worked,” one of the men said as he put a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “She’s—”

“This is the first time she’s responded in years, Frank. Years! She’s never showed recognition to her name, not since she—”

“I know,” the man said and Emma struggled to keep her eyes open, but the lids felt heavy and the room was beginning to blur. “We’ll try again another day with a different dosage. We’re almost there, Karen. Almost.”

Emma, confused and scared, tried to move, but with her body feeling so heavy and sedated, she couldn’t will her body to cooperate. The people in front of her suddenly turned their attention back to her, but she couldn’t hear them as they spoke this time and like before, the room started to grow fuzzy, fading, feeling like that moment in a dream when she was falling into nothingness.

Emma was panicking as her body started tingling, almost as if it were just waking up after a long sleep. Slowly her vision began to clear and the darkness, the nothingness began to fade away. She felt the warmth of her coffee mug in her hands and when she blinked her eyes, she found that she was sitting on the couch in Beth and Mary Margaret’s apartment with Riley on her lap talking animatedly to her.

“Riles?” Emma whispered and Riley looked at her in confusion. “What were you saying, baby girl?”

“I want to go see Miss Carla! Tell her about Henry! And Beth!” Riley exclaimed. “Can we, Mommy?”

“Sure, baby, we can go see Miss Carla later.”

“You okay?” Beth asked and Emma turned to look at her as Beth sat down in the armchair. “Em?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay?” She asked again and Emma nodded though she was unsure if she was okay or not. “Are you sure?”

“No,” Emma sighed and she ran her fingers through Riley’s curly hair and leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead. “I—I don’t know what’s going on, must not have slept as well as I thought last night.”

“Okay,” Beth said and Emma watched her cast a glance over at Mary Margaret who was still standing in the kitchen. “Well, I’m going to jump in the shower and then we can go for breakfast.”

“I want pancakes and waffles!” Riley smiled up at Emma. “Can I have both, Mommy?”

“That’s a whole lot of food, Riles,” Emma chuckled. “Where are you going to put it all?”

“In my tummy, silly.”

“How about I’ll get the waffles, you can get the pancakes, and we’ll share?” Emma suggested and Riley shook her head with a pout that melted Emma’s heart. “Why not?”

“Don’t want to.”

Emma felt an ache in her arm and she ran her fingers over the spot, frowning when she saw the small pinprick just over her vein. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to shake off what had happened mere minutes before, but the things she had felt, seen and heard wouldn’t leave her mind.

But the one thing that unsettled her as she thought back to that room she’d been in, she knew she’d been there before. In the dream that she’d woken up from, the dream that felt like a nightmare.

[X]

It was definitely not just a dream. Regina found herself back in that room, but she knew she wasn’t sleeping. She’d been at her desk, drinking her morning coffee and going over paperwork she had yet to finish, when suddenly, as if by magic, she was pulled elsewhere, into that room she’d been in during her dreams.

This time, she wasn’t alone. A woman stood by the door with a clipboard in hand, glasses perched on the top of her head and pen scribbling furiously. Regina tried to move, but her wrists and ankles were bound, restrained. As she blinked, her vision grew clearer and she could feel her body moving lethargically against the hard bed and the tight restraints.

“Dr. Fuller?” A man said as he entered the room. “I have the correct dosage here for you.”

“Perfect.”

Regina tried to move again as the woman approached the bed, syringe in hand. She placed the clipboard on the small table beside the bed and placed her hand on Regina’s left arm. The touch was cold and she shuddered. The reaction pulled a gasp from the woman and she turned to look at the man lingering in the doorway.

“Regina?”

“W—wh—”

“Regina, can you hear me?” The woman asked and Regina tried again to speak, but nothing came out but a whoosh of air. “Regina, nod your head or blink if you can understand me.”

She tried to nod, but her head just lolled to the side on the small pillow. She licked her dry, cracked lips and blinked a few times in hope that it was enough. She tried again to speak, but she couldn’t as her tongue felt too heavy and swollen in her mouth.

“Regina,” the woman said softly and she gave her arm a gentle little squeeze. “Do you know where you are?”

_No_ , Regina thought and she stayed still. Panic was starting to creep up from deep within when she felt the woman squeeze her arm again, just a gently as she had before.

“Dr. Fuller,” the man in the doorway said. “We should try the dosage and see if she is any more responsive in a few minutes.”

“It won’t be necessary if she is responsive now, Frank.”

“It worked on the other patient.”

“Yes, just for a few minutes, but it didn’t work as we had anticipated,” she replied and she looked back down at Regina before she slid the needle into her arm carefully. “Regina, we’re trying something new. You might feel better and more like yourself in a moment,” she said in a voice that reminded Regina too much of a parent speaking to a young child and not a grown adult. “Do you remember the last time we tried?”

_The last time?_ Regina tried to shake her head as she felt the rush of a liquid flowing into her vein as the woman emptied the syringe into her.

“You reacted violently, which is why you are still in restraints,” the woman said and she shook her head as she removed the needle.

Suddenly, Regina felt that same pull that had brought her there to that room, but she stayed right where she was as every inch of her body began to tingle and the heaviness started to fade away. She licked her lips and groaned quietly, but when she tried to lift her head, she found she had a little more control than she had just moments ago. She balled her hands into tight fists and gasped as she pulled hard at the restraints.

“Whe—where a—am I?” Regina croaked, her voice harsh and low as if she hadn’t spoken in a very long time. It hurt to speak, but it was better than not being able to speak at all. “Where a—am I?”

“You’re in The Stonybrooke Institute,” the woman replied and she pulled out a small penlight from her white jacket pocket and clicked it on. “You have been here since you were a young child. Do you remember that?”

“That is im—impossible.”

The woman shook her head as she shone the light into Regina’s eyes, checking for her responsiveness before she clicked the light off and slipped it back into her pocket. “A few months ago, you stopped speaking, you stopped eating, and eventually you stopped responding to any and all stimulation. We’re trying to figure out why this happened, Regina. How do you feel?”

Regina shook her head and pulled against the restraints. How did she feel? _Like a caged animal fighting for its life._ When she tried to speak, her tongue suddenly felt heavy and swollen in her mouth again and she groaned as her body began to grow weak, weaker than it’d felt before whatever the woman had injected into her had started to work.

Wave after wave of nausea hit her, but she couldn’t move. She felt like she was choking on her own bile and everything began to blur together, from the sounds of the woman and man in the room shouting at one another to get her out of the restraints, to the endless wave of nausea that rolled through her body.

The moment the restraints were removed from her wrists, she rolled onto her side, shaking uncontrollably as the bile projected out of her mouth and onto the floor. Hot tears fell from her eyes as she willed her body to stop, but the nausea just continued as did the bile that continued to come out.

Her stomach felt tight, her throat raw, the bile burning her dry cracked lips, and a sweat broke out over her entire body suddenly. Never in her life did she wish for her magic than she did in that moment, wanting nothing more than to whisk herself away from the nightmare she’d fallen into…

[X]

Henry pulled on his school uniform navy sweater and smoothed out his hair before he headed downstairs. Every Friday morning he woke up to the delicious smell of eggs and bacon cooking in the kitchen, but that smell was strangely absent as he made his way into the empty kitchen.

“Mom?” Henry called out, noticing the nearly full pot of coffee on the counter. “Mom?”

She knew she was still in the house since her heels were sitting near the front door and her purse was still on the dining room table where she’d moved it after dinner the night before. He knew she wasn’t still in bed because the coffee was fresh and still steaming hot. With a puzzled frown, he made his way to the study and found his mother sitting at the desk doing paperwork.

“Mom?”

Regina turned to look up at him but she didn’t say a word. She didn’t smile either, which he found unusual too. It took her a few minutes before she took a deep breath.

“Hello, Henry.”

“What are you doing?” Henry asked. “Paperwork?”

Regina paused to look down at the papers before nodding. “Yes, dear. Just catching up on some things.”

“Are we going to have breakfast?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Now, dear.”

“Okay,” Henry said slowly as he backed up towards the doorway. She was definitely acting weird and he had an unsettled feeling about the way she was acting too. “Can we have apple pancakes this morning?”

“Yes.”

“Right,” Henry nodded. “Do you want me to get started?”

“If you’d like to, yes.”

Henry left the study then, but he grabbed the cordless phone, headed into the sitting room off to the other side of the dining room, and dialed a number quickly while keeping an eye on the doorway in case his mother came looking for him.

“Hey, Hen,” Beth said when she answered her phone after the third ring. “What’s up?”

“Beth,” Henry whispered. “There’s something wrong with my mom.”

“What?” Beth sounded worried. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“She’s—I don’t know, Beth, but there’s something not right!”

“What do you mean, Hen? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, Beth. I don’t know, but—but can you come over now? I have a really bad feeling.”

“Henry, talk to me,” Beth said calmly. “What’s wrong with your mom?”

“I don’t know!” Henry cried out and he clamped a hand over his mouth, worried that his mother would hear him and come before he could tell Beth anything. “She’s just…I don’t know, Beth. It’s like she’s there, but she’s not there.”

“You’re confusing me,” Beth replied. “What do you mean by that exactly? What is she doing?”

“She was just sitting at her desk. She’s—” Henry cut himself off when he heard the clack of her heels on the floor out in the foyer. “Can you _please_ just come over, Beth? I’m telling you, there’s something wrong with my mom and I—I don’t want to be alone with her right now. What if she does something?”

“What would she do, Hen? She would never hurt you. You know that, don’t you?”

“I know but—please, Beth? Please come over?”

“I’ll be there in a bit, Hen. I just got out of the shower.”

“Thank you,” he said before he hung up the phone just as his mother walked through the dining room and came to a stop beside the table.

He watched her carefully, lingering just around the corner of the wall, out of her line of sight. She just stood there, staring blankly ahead for almost five minutes before she walked into the kitchen, her steps and every movement very stiff and very unlike her at all. He groaned quietly and stayed back while he hugged the cordless phone to his chest.

_Hurry up, Beth_ , he thought as he trembled at the sound of his mother’s voice calling his name stiffly. _Please hurry, Beth_.

Nothing scared him more than the way his mother was acting this morning. Not even knowing she was the Evil Queen had scared him, but this was different and he didn’t even know what was happening or what had happened to her. Last night before bed, she’d been perfectly fine, her usual self. But now? Now she was acting like a pod-person, a shell of herself and that alone was scarier than anything else in the whole world.

Henry slipped out of the sitting room and to the den so he could be near the front door when Beth showed up. He paced the floor by the window, looking out every couple of minutes to see if Beth had pulled up yet in either the cruiser or on her bike. Each minute felt like forever had passed and when he spotted the police cruiser pull up to the sidewalk in front of the gate, he signed in relief, but the relief was short-lived as he turned to find his mother standing in the doorway, staring at him.

“Mom?” Henry tried tentatively. “What are you doing, Mom?”

Regina stood there, unmoving, and with that same blank stare he’d seen before when she was in the dining room. A knock sounded on the front door before the doorbell rang, and that seemed to snap Regina out of it. She turned to walk to the front door, but Henry was quick on his feet, rushing past her and he reached the door before her. He yanked it open and stared up at Beth.

“Hey—”

“Beth, she’s really acting weird,” Henry said in a rush. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She was _fine_ last night!”

“Hey, Regina,” Beth said as she looked over the top of Henry’s head. “Sorry to show up so early. I was in the neighborhood, decided to stop by when I saw the lights on.”

Henry turned to look back at his mother, but she just stood at the top of the stairs that led into the foyer, unmoving, silent. He turned back to Beth with wide eyes.

“See?” He whispered. “I told you!”

“Regina?” Beth asked and she stepped past Henry, pausing to turn to look down at him. “Why don’t you go upstairs, Hen? I’m going to talk to her, find out what’s going on.”

“But—”

“Just go to your room, Henry,” Beth said softly. “I’ll come up and see you after I talk to her, okay?”

Henry did as he was asked, but he didn’t go to his room, just stayed hidden out of sight at the top of the stairs. He could hear from where he crouched, but as they couldn’t see him, he couldn’t see them either.

“Regina?” Beth asked. “Are you all right?”

Silence. Henry bit his lip and grabbed on to the spindles tightly as he leaned forward.

“Regina? Hey?”

“Hello,” Regina finally replied in a low, monotone voice.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes, dear.”

Henry frowned and pressed his forehead against the wood spindles, fearing he wasn’t hearing their entire conversation. After a few minutes, he saw his mother enter the foyer fully and he backed away a little as Beth came into sight a few seconds later. He watched Beth walk up to his mother and place a hand on her shoulder, but Regina remained unresponsive to the touch.

“Regina?” Beth asked and she moved to stand in front of her with a worried look falling over her features. “Hey, you know you don’t have to hide anything from me right? What’s going on?”

“Nothing, dear,” Regina replied blandly. “Will you stay for breakfast this morning?”

“Uh—no, no I can’t. I have somewhere I need to be. Regina,” Beth paused as she stepped a little closer to her and Henry watched as his mother remained unresponsive. “I’m worried about you. Henry is worried about you.”

Regina didn’t say a word as she walked away and headed to the dining room and into the kitchen. Henry watched Beth just shake her head and run her fingers through her damp, curly hair. She turned and looked up at Henry and laughed softly before she headed up the stairs and Henry backed away from the railing and stood up.

“What’s wrong with her?” Henry asked quietly. “There’s something wrong with her, isn’t there?”

“I don’t know, Hen, but you were right. She is acting weird. Are you sure she was okay last night?”

“Yeah, she was fine,” Henry frowned. “She told me everything, Beth, about the curse, about who she truly is, about everyone in this town too! She didn’t deny anything, though she told me that the book is wrong about her because it doesn’t tell her whole story.”

“She told you?”

“Yes!”

“Hen—”

“She wants me to help break the curse. She needs Emma to stay in Storybrooke so she can break the curse. She’s the Savior, Beth. Only she can do it!”

“She’s the Savior?” Beth asked. “You’re positive about that?”

“Yes, it says so in my book. She’s the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and it is her destiny to return here to save everyone from the Evil Queen’s dark curse. They put her in that wardrobe to save her so that one day she could save them too!”

“What if the book is wrong, Hen?”

“It’s not,” he replied, making sure to keep his voice low. “She told me that it was true, that Emma is the Savior that will break the curse this town has been under for the last twenty-eight years.”

Henry could see the hurt in Beth’s eyes and he couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind. She too was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, but they hadn’t saved her like they had saved Emma, and she wasn’t the Savior either. She wasn’t even written into the book and now Henry wanted to know why and he was sure that Beth wanted the same answers too now.

“How is she supposed to break the curse, Hen? There is no magic here, there has never been and there—”

“Mom said there is magic, very little of it, and that any curse can be broken whether we’re in a magical realm or not.”

“But how?”

“Just how any curse is broken!” Henry said, but he didn’t smile because it suddenly dawned on him that it would be impossible. “Any curse can be broken with True Love’s Kiss, Beth. Emma just has to find her true love—”

“What makes you so sure her true love is in Storybrooke?”

“I—I don’t know,” he frowned. “If it is destined, then he has to be here!”

“He?” Beth questioned. “You know a true love can be anyone, right, Hen? Whether it’s between a mother and their child, between friends, it doesn’t mean it has to be someone she loves romantically.”

“Oh,” Henry said and he shook his head as he reached out for Beth’s hand. “We _have_ to find a way to keep her here in Storybrooke, Beth. We just have to.”

“How are you going to do that?” Beth asked. “She’s leaving this morning to go back to Boston with Riley.”

“We need to find a way to stop her.”

“Henry, we can’t,” Beth sighed. “Emma needs to go home with Riley. They have a life in Boston. You understand that, don’t you? The only reason they’ve been here all week is because you found her and she brought you home. She ran into some car trouble. If she hadn’t, she would’ve left that very same night she dropped you off here at home.”

“She tried to cross the line,” Henry said as he let go of Beth’s wrist. “She came here because she was destined to and the magic of the curse wouldn’t let her leave, Beth. Do you think that’ll happen again when she tries to leave today?”

“Henry, I don’t think it works like that.”

“But it does! Nobody can ever leave! Haven’t you ever noticed that before? Nobody ever leaves and nobody new ever comes here. It’s the curse. Have you ever tried to leave Storybrooke, Beth?”

“No, I’ve never had a reason to,” Beth replied. “But that doesn’t mean that I can’t leave, Henry.”

“My mom can leave.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“Because she’s the one who cast the curse. It doesn’t affect her like it does with everyone else. Maybe it won’t affect you either because you grew up while everyone else stayed the same.”

“Henry—”

“Come on, Beth, you know I’m right! You know the truth. You’ve known the truth longer than I have, haven’t you?”

Beth shook her head. “Look, I came over because you had me worried that something was wrong with your mom. I have to go, Henry. Call me if she doesn’t snap out of it, okay?”

“But Beth!”

“Maybe she’s just tired this morning,” Beth said as she backed away from him and headed to the top of the stairs. “We all have our off-days, you know?” She shrugged and shook her head. “Emma was a bit off this morning too. I think it’s just been a long week for everyone and—”

“Emma was off too? Like Mom is?”

“I don’t know, Hen, but look, I won’t be far today, okay? I’ll come and check on her in a few hours. I don’t know if she isn’t telling me anything because you’re home or what, but I promise you I’ll figure out what’s going on one way or another, okay?”

All Henry could do then was watch Beth as she walked down the stairs and headed out the front door. He went into his room, careful not to slam the door as hot tears filled his eyes and his body shook in frustration and in fear, in sadness, and in hopelessness too.

[X]

Regina paced the small room, thankful she was no longer restrained to the bed, but the screams she’d heard before continued at random intervals, echoing through the halls and off the walls in the room she was locked away in. The nausea had passed and she had been left alone and unrestrained in the room without any answers as to where she was or what the hell was going on.

Her view out of the tiny barred window didn’t show much else other than endless of miles of trees, trees that were changing color with the season. She tried to look elsewhere, but the window didn’t provide much of a view at all, though she did determine that she was on the fifth floor of the building given the height and the view that looked just overtop the canopy of trees.

Regina didn’t stop pacing though the linoleum floor was cold on her bare feet and the white pajama pants and t-shirt she wore were stiff and scratchy against her skin. Her hair was still the same length, but the texture wasn’t as soft as she was used to, and there was no comb in sight in the small room she could use to untangle the knots that had formed at the back of her head.

Now that her head was a bit clearer, she did all she could to keep from panicking. It had been a dream before, one she woke up from, but this time she couldn’t seem to wake herself up, and she was trapped there, wherever she was, trapped and locked in a room she couldn’t get out of. Where was she? Why was she there? Why couldn’t she just _wake up_?

After ten minutes of pacing, she shivered and crawled onto the bed, pulling up the white sheet around her body to try and starve off the slight chill that had entered the room. She knew that wherever she was, she was a patient, and the room looked much like the ones in the basement of Storybrooke’s hospital where she kept those few locked away as mental patients. Was that what she was? A patient? Locked away for all eternity because she could never function or survive in the world outside like a normal human being?

Why hadn’t she woken up in this place before? Was it truly just a nightmare she couldn’t wake herself up from? If it wasn’t a nightmare, was it a spell of sorts that was triggered by something or someone? It would drive her maddeningly insane if she allowed it, and she wasn’t going to let it get to that point. If she lost what control she had over the thoughts in her mind, she wasn’t sure what would happen.

She closed her tired eyes as she heard a familiar howl of a wolf just off in the distance. She knew she had to figure out what was going on, but she had no idea where she’d even start.


	15. Chapter 15

“Regina’s been acting weird,” Beth said as Emma turned her focus away from helping Riley cut up her pancakes.

“Weird? How?”

“Just…off.”

“Is that why you went over there earlier?” Emma asked and she saw Beth nod her head slowly. “What do you mean but off?”

“It’s like she’s there but she’s not at the same time.”

Emma swallowed thickly as she turned her attention back to helping Riley cut up her pancakes. “Does she do drugs or anything?” She asked Beth. “Prescription?”

“No, not that I know of,” Beth said with a shake of her head. “I don’t think that’s what it is, Emma. There’s something else going on with her.”

“When did that start?”

“This morning when Henry called me. He was really freaked out about it too,” Beth said and she sipped her orange juice before shaking her head again. “I thought maybe it was something else, that maybe he was exaggerating as kids do right? Well, when I got to the house, it was really strange.”

Emma made sure Riley had a hold of her fork before she picked up her mug of coffee. She hadn’t said a word to anyone about the strange dream she’d experienced that morning—though she knew it wasn’t quite like a dream at all, but that was exactly what she was calling it for now. Yet now, it was all she was thinking of again, and hearing about Regina wasn’t helping.

“I know you don’t want to be hearing about this,” Beth continued. “It must be weird hearing about your son’s adopted mother and—”

“No, no it’s fine. In fact, I’m starting to wonder if I should be leaving Storybrooke at all today if Regina isn’t, you know, herself.”

“You’re not going to leave?”

“Well, not if Regina isn’t—I don’t know, I get this bad feeling about leaving the kid with her if she’s not…right,” Emma said and she sighed. “Who else does he have if Regina can’t look after him properly?”

“Graham and me,” Beth replied. “We watch him sometimes when Regina has to work.”

“But there isn’t anyone else? What about Regina’s parents?”

Beth shook her head. “No, her father is dead and her mother isn’t around. I only know this because Henry told me. Regina doesn’t talk about her parents at all.”

“So, Regina is Henry’s only family?”

“Pretty much. Guess I kind of count now, huh? Auntie Beth,” she chuckled lightly and Emma just shook her head with a laugh. “Crazy to find out that we’ve been practically family all this time and we never knew.”

“Yeah, crazy,” Emma murmured under her breath. “It’s good to know he has you and Graham.”

“Yeah.”

Emma looked down at her plate of waffles. She wasn’t even hungry, but Riley had wanted both and she had promised to share. Her appetite had all but disappeared after Beth went off to the Mills’ house and she and Riley walked to the diner. Her mind was running rampant with thoughts, especially now after hearing what Beth had said about Regina.

She had been so set on leaving Storybrooke shortly after breakfast, but now? Now she wasn’t so sure she should be leaving at all despite her life she needed to get back to and her job she needed to talk her boss into keeping in person. Miss Carla was expecting them too, and she didn’t want to disappoint the old woman, but a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach had her worrying about Henry, worried that his adoptive mother wasn’t able to take care of him as he needed to be in the state that Beth told her she was in. She wanted to stay but knew she had to go at the same time, and the back and forth of her thoughts fighting with her conscience and that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach was enough to send her reeling and left her feeling undecided, unsure.

Her week in Storybrooke had been unexpected and it came with a lot of things that would weigh heavily on her mind, but nothing topped what had happened earlier that morning. It didn’t make any sense that she had fallen back into that world she’d been dreaming of before, to the world she knew didn’t exist, to feeling everything that had happened while she’d been there right down to the small hole in her arm where the syringe had been injected. Even as she thought of it, she pushed up her left sleeve and ran her fingers over the spot, the hole long since gone, but the slight throbbing pain still lingering as she touched the skin.

“You okay?”

“Fine,” Emma replied.

“Not hungry?”

“Not so much.”

“Mind if I have one of those then?” Beth smirked and reached over with a fork, stabbed it and pulled one of Emma’s untouched waffles off the plate and plopped it onto her own before Emma answered her. “Thanks. You’re missing out. They’re really good.”

Emma smiled forcibly before taking a long sip of her coffee. She knew they were really good, she could _smell_ just how good they really were. But here appetite just wasn’t there that morning. She pulled out her phone and absent-mindedly checked her email, not surprised to find yet another one from her boss, only it wasn’t like the other ones he’d been sending, it was a letter of termination. Panic rose in her quickly, taking over the assault of thoughts in her mind and replacing them with worry.

Without that job, she couldn’t afford the place she and Riley had just moved into. Without that job, she had nothing and would likely not find anything that could keep them living in a better, nicer neighborhood where the rent was a little too high, but it was worth it for the safe feeling that it provided.

Emma tried to hide her emotions as she slipped her phone into her jacket pocket, but she failed as Beth gave her a look and Riley tugged on the sleeve of her shirt.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, baby?”

“We go home soon?”

“Hey, Riley?” Beth swept in and she stabbed her fork into the other waffle that was left on Emma’s plate. “You’ve got to try these. They’re extra yummy today!”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah,” Beth grinned and she leaned over the table to cut up the waffles into Riley sized bites. “Try it with some pancakes. Makes it even better!”

Grateful for the distraction, Emma motioned that she’d be right back and quickly made her way to the bathroom in the back hall. She barely made it into the stall in time to empty what little was in her stomach, and it burned on the way up and it stung like fire as she grasped blindly at the stall walls, trying to take a few deep breaths.

She felt weak as she turned to walk over to the drippy sink and as soon as she felt the water on her hands, that’s when she felt that same prick in her arm in the exact spot as earlier.

And everything suddenly went black.

[X]

Regina was silent on her own accord, too afraid to speak, to rouse any unwanted attention from the strange people there were all around her. She had been escorted by an orderly not that long before out of the room and into a common area, told to be happy she had time out of her room and to enjoy it while it lasted. She didn’t dare question what the man had meant, only giving him a small nod before finding a seat alone at a table near a window. She felt cold in that room and the clothes she wore provided little warmth and comfort, but she starved off the chill as best as she could, knowing that making an issue would draw unwanted attention.

It felt like a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from and her mind was a little fuzzy, but she knew that it was whatever drugs the doctor had pumped into her an hour before, and they were still working just as strongly as they had before.

“Hi,” a woman who was dressed much like the doctor said as she took a seat across from Regina at the table. “How are you feeling, Regina?”

She stared at the woman before folding her arms over her chest, fighting back the shiver that ran through her body.

“Are you cold?”

“Y—yes.”

“Charles?” The woman said and the same orderly who had escorted her to the room came over in an instant. “Could you fetch Regina’s robe from her room, please?”

“Yes, of course, doctor.”

The woman smiled and then it hit Regina that this woman looked familiar to her. And she didn’t just look familiar, she knew her. It was the Blue Fairy, otherwise known as Mother Superior in Storybrooke. She loathed the woman and it was clear her anger showed as the soft look on the petite brunette’s face changed.

“I’m Doctor Sumner,” she said in a tight voice, one that Regina recognized as the one that the Blue Fairy spoke with. “I’m not sure if you remember me, Regina, but you have been here for a long time, long before I started my residency here actually.”

“Since I was a child,” Regina replied emptily.

“That is correct,” she said and she pulled out a small pad of paper and a pen. “I’ve been told that there has been a slight improvement, progress if you may call it that. How are you feeling?”

“Tired.”

“Anything else, Regina?”

“No.”

“Would you like to go somewhere more private to talk?” Dr. Sumner asked and Regina shook her head, not wanting to go anywhere with that woman, especially alone. “Are you comfortable talking here?”

Regina looked around the room and at the people in it. Most were playing games or attempting to, others sat alone and lost in their own little world, and just a few were pacing by the door, stopping every couple of seconds to try to open the locked door with no success. She shook her head and turned to look back at the petite brunette.

“Is this some kind of a joke?”

“Excuse me?”

“This,” Regina said as she motioned to the room they were in. “This is a spell, isn’t it?”

“No, Regina.”

“Yes,” she muttered. “It has to be. Why else would I be here? I don’t belong here, Blue, I don’t.”

“You haven’t called me that for a long time, Regina.”

“I saw you last week.”

“You did, but you weren’t speaking. I wasn’t even sure you were aware that anyone was in the room with you at the time.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

The woman reached out for her and Regina reeled back. “Please remain calm, Regina. It’s been a while,” she said calmly, tightly, and she raised an eyebrow at Regina for a moment. “It has been a very long while since you’ve been self-aware. The last time we spoke, you talked of Storybrooke—”

“That is my home. My son is there!” Regina said and anger bubbled furiously inside of her, yet she tried to remain calm as she noticed a few other orderlies making their way over to the table. “I need to go home. My son is there.”

“Regina—”

“I need to go home,” Regina said, her panic rising and quickly taking over the anger. “I need to get home to my son!”

“You don’t have a son, Regina,” the woman said. “You don’t have a son. You have been here in Stonybrooke for the last twenty-eight years.”

“I do have a son!”

“Regina—”

“His name is Henry. He is ten years old.”

“Your father’s name is Henry,” she replied. “He and your mother come to visit you once a month, every month, just as they have been doing for the last—”

“My father is dead!”

“He is very much alive, Regina. I spoke with him not even twenty minutes ago to inform him that you’re—”

“No!” Regina roared, her anger suddenly coming back. “My father is dead! I killed him!” She said and she started to tremble and hot tears began welling up in her eyes. “I had to kill him. I needed the heart of the thing that I loved most or the curse wouldn’t work. I killed him. He’s dead.”

“Regina, your father is very much alive. I just spoke with him. He and your mother are planning to come this afternoon to visit with you. Isn’t that nice?” The woman asked, her tone placating as if she were speaking to a small child and not a grown woman. “They should be here just as leisure time comes to an end this morning. Do you wish to stay here until then, Regina?”

“Fine.”

“Unless you wish to return to your room? I know it is a safe place for you there,” she continued. “What would you like, Regina?”

“I’ll stay here.”

“Good,” the doctor smiled brightly as she stood up. “I like seeing you make progress, Regina. Every step forward is a step in the right direction. Let’s continue going forward, shall we?”

“Yes.”

Regina sat rigid, watching the woman walk across the room to speak with another patient and then she turned her attention to the orderlies who were still watching her closely. Regina swallowed thickly, her mouth suddenly dry, and she spotted a pitcher of water and some plastic cups on a table by one of the few windows in the room. She stood slowly, knowing from her experience earlier getting out of bed and how nauseated any sudden movements made her, and she exhaled sharply as she fought back the churning feeling in her stomach.

She focused just on walking to the table with the water pitcher and once she was there, she grabbed one of the plastic cups and held it up to inspect it in the sunlight coming in the window.

“Here, let me,” the orderly who had brought her down to the room said and he took the cup from her and poured the water.

“I am perfectly capable of doing that myself, thank you.”

“I know.”

“That cup was dirty.”

“Perfectly clean,” he grinned. “Might be a little spotty from the dishwasher, but they’re all clean.”

Regina raised an eyebrow and then rolled her eyes as she took the cup of water from the man and took a tentative sip. “What is your name? Charles?”

“Yep,” he nodded as he held out the robe that had been in Regina’s room earlier. “Everyone calls me Charlie around here though, aside from the doctors. Here,” he said as he held the robe open, “you’ll be warmer if you wear this.”

“I’m fine now. The sunlight is quite warm.”

Charlie smiled warmly and he draped the robe over his arm. “It is sure nice to see you more like yourself, Regina.”

“Hmm?”

“Talking, alert,” he said as if choosing his words carefully. “It’s nice, that’s all.”

Regina took another sip of her water and turned to look back around the room. With a frown, she suddenly felt a little too uncomfortable, especially with a few of the patients suddenly staring at her, openly gaping and pointing at her.

“Charlie, I’d like to go back to my room now.”

“Of course. Let me just sign you out and I’ll take you back, but are you sure you don’t want to stay in here for a little while longer? We can play a game?”

“No, I’d like to just go back to my room,” she replied and she downed the last of the water and put the cup on the red tray with the other dirty cups. “Please.”

Regina followed the orderly to the window by the door and he picked up a clipboard and signed her out. A small buzzer sounded before the door unlocked and he led the way out of the room and down a long, bland hallway. The only difference this time was that a lot of the doors that had been closed before were now open and many of the rooms empty as the patients were in the leisure room. Regina couldn’t help but look into each one out of curiosity as they passed and the orderly was nothing but patient with her when she stopped a few times.

“What kind of patients are here, Charlie?”

“Lots of kinds,” he replied. “Most have needed care from a young age for many different physical and mental disabilities and issues. Do you know why you’re here?”

“Not really.”

“Wish I could tell ya, but that’s up to your doctors.”

“Why can’t you tell me?”

“I’m just an orderly, Regina,” he said with a soft sigh. “I do know a lot of patients and why they are here, but sometimes it is a sensitive subject and I’ve been instructed not to talk about these things as it could set some of the patients off.”

“I see. The woman I was just talking to, she said I’ve been here for twenty-eight years.”

“Yeah, my father knew you when you were a child, well a young teenager actually. He was a doctor here but he’s retired now. I doubt you remember him. His patients always called him Robert.”

“I don’t know him.”

Charlie chuckled lightly. “No, you wouldn’t, would you? It’s hard for you to remember a lot of things sometimes.”

“Short term memory loss?”

“Something like that,” Charlie replied and upon Regina’s insistent look, he sighed and pulled her to the side of the hallway to allow another orderly and an old man pass by. “It’s kind of like selective memory. You remember some things, but not others.”

“I see.”

“I’m not the right person to be explaining things. I’m sorry. Let’s get you to your room, okay?”

Regina nodded and followed him down the hallway. She was feeling very tired and all she wanted to do was to lie down for a little while. She had far too many questions and even though she wasn’t sure if this was nothing more than a nightmare or not, she was just going through the motions in hope that she would soon wake up and everything would be fine.

As they turned the corner, Regina flinched at the sound of running feet coming from behind them in the hallway and she stopped to watch three orderlies run into a room across the hall from her own and then Dr. Fuller and the man named Frank that had been in her room before stepped out.

Charlie tried to guide Regina to her room quickly, but her curiosity was piqued and she managed to get a quick glance into the room before Charlie was pulling her back. What she saw shocked her and amazed her and intrigued her all at once.

Inside the room, the three orderlies were struggling with a blonde woman who was clearly in a fit of rage. Regina knew who it was before she saw the face and it wasn’t hard to mistake her for her twin sister either. And when the blonde was restrained, she lifted her head and looked straight at Regina, her whole demeanor changing in an instant.

“Regina?”

“Emma?”

“Regina,” Charlie said gently. “Come on, let’s go to your room and let them deal with her. Nobody likes an audience when they’re not feeling like themselves, right?”

“Regina?” Emma asked again, her voice hoarse and she tried to fight against the orderlies to no avail. “Let me go!”

“Come on, Regina,” Charlie coaxed. “Let’s go.”

“Emma?” Regina whispered, becoming confused and then concerned when she saw two of the orderlies strap the woman to the bed while the other prepared a syringe. “What—”

“It is just to calm her down,” Dr. Fuller said as she stepped in front of Regina. “Have you had enough leisure time, Regina?”

“She asked to return to her room, Doctor,” Charlie spoke softly and he urged Regina into her room. “I should get back to the room.”

“Yes, you should,” the doctor replied tightly. “Regina, are you feeling up to talking now?”

“I—I—”

“I know that your parents will be arriving in an hour to visit, but I would very much like to talk to you before they arrive.”

Regina looked at the doctor and she felt like she was not being given a choice. She just wanted to return to the room, lie down for a little while, and sort through the thousand different thoughts that were barreling through her mind all at once.

“Would you like to talk in your room or in my office?”

“I—” Regina stopped short and grasped at her chest as her heart starting to race wildly. “I don’t—”

“Regina, are you all right?” The doctor asked, but her voice sounded so distant as Regina could only really hear the rapid beating of her heart. “Regina?”

Regina blinked, her vision swimming, and when she blinked past the blurriness, she was no longer in the small little room, but inside of her study and at her desk, paperwork in front of her and a hot cup of coffee off to one side, still steaming hot. She reached out to touch the mug, feeling its warmth, before her vision began to swim and blur once again. She blinked past it and groaned loudly as she felt the coldness in the air that left her with a chill in her body.

As she blinked open her eyes, her vision returning once more, she was laying on the bed in the small room with the doctor, the orderly and two others lingering just by the door. Regina wearily lifted her head and groaned as the room spun, but she stayed right where she was.

“Regina?”

“What ha—happened?”

“It is just the medication,” the doctor replied. “It seems there are a few side effects we weren’t aware of for someone in your condition.”

“My condition?”

“May I have a word with my patient alone?” The doctor asked the others that were in the room and Regina saw Charlie look at her with a sympathetic frown before he and the two others left, shutting the door behind them. “Regina, Charles said you were asking him questions about why you are here.”

“Yes. I would like to know why.”

The doctor cleared her throat and pulled up the only chair that was in the room and sat down. “Where shall I start?”

“The beginning,” Regina replied and she groaned as she pulled herself up into a sitting position and leaned against the small metal and hard plastic headboard. “I’ve been here for twenty-eight years?”

“Yes, Regina.”

“How old am I?”

“You will be forty years old in February. It is nearing November now,” the doctor replied and Regina frowned. “You were twelve years old when you came here to Stonybrooke. There was an incident and it was either you spend your time here or in a juvenile detention center and then later when you were of adult age, the rest of your life in prison.”

“What kind of incident?”

“You don’t remember?”

“No.”

The doctor sighed heavily and languidly crossed one leg over the other. “You were diagnosed with schizophrenia when you were only ten. You were on multiple different medications in an attempt to lessen the symptoms and the sudden mood changes and to help suppress those violent urges that came from the smallest of triggers. By the time you were twelve, your parents were struggling, and s number of violent outbursts led your doctor at the time to believe that the original diagnosis was wrong. Before the medication could be changed and before you could start a new round of therapy, the incident that landed you here happened suddenly.”

“What incident?” Regina asked tightly, her patience wearing thin. “What happened? What did I do?”

“Do you remember your sister, Zelena?”

“I don’t have a sister.”

“No,” the doctor frowned. “You don’t anymore. She died after you attacked her one night while she was sleeping.”

“I killed her?”

“Yes, Regina.”

“My sister?”

“Yes.”

Regina blinked. And she blinked again. _It’s not real_ , she thought to herself, _it is just a nightmare. You’re going to wake up and realize that none of this is real._

“Regina?”

“Yes?”

“You are here because this is what is best for you. Over the years, you’ve come and gone, so to speak,” the doctor said quietly yet clearly. “There have been periods of time where you have been nothing but a shell of yourself. You don’t talk, or move much at all if any, and we’ve had to feed you with a feeding tube several times for months at a time because you were not capable of functioning to swallow. According to my own personal records in the twelve years I have been your doctor, this is the longest you’ve been self-aware.”

“It’s been—”

“Just short of three hours now,” she said with a nod and a small smile. “We’ve tried some new medication and I am starting to believe, despite the side effects, we have found something that works to keep you here in the now.”

“What do you mean? Here in the now?”

“Do you remember telling me about a town called Storybrooke?” The doctor asked and Regina just stared blankly at her. “A town cursed by you, the Evil Queen. Your old psychiatrist stated that you created that persona to put a name to the other person you’ve become during your episodes.”

Regina felt her body growing tense, but the thoughts in her head began to grow murky. The doctor just stared at her for a moment and she slowly uncrossed her legs and leaned forward.

“Regina, you have created this whole other world inside your mind, one that you believe helps you deal with what has happened and who you are. Regina,” the doctor said and she paused for a moment before continuing once Regina looked over at her. “Do you spend a lot of time in Storybrooke?”

“Yes.”

“Would you like to talk about it?”

“I just want to go home,” she muttered. “I want to go home to my son. He needs me. He can’t be alone.”

“Regina,” the doctor said softly. “You don’t have a son.”

“Yes, I do!” Regina said, her voice hoarse as she felt the anger begin to bubble through her veins. “I have a son. He is ten and I adopted him when he was only three weeks old. He’s alone! He’s all alone because I’m stuck here!”

“Regina, stop.”

“No!”

“Regina,” the doctor sighed and she stood up from the chair slowly before reaching for Regina’s hand. “It’s not real, honey. It’s all in your head. I know you believe everything that you’ve imagined about this place is real, but it’s not. Here? Where we are? This is real, Regina. I know it is very hard to accept that, but I need you to try to understand that this place you believe is where you should be, your home, it’s all just made up inside your head.”

“No,” Regina sobbed and she pulled her hand free to wipe her tears. “No, you’re wrong. _This_ isn’t real.”

“Do you know why you call it Storybrooke?” The doctor asked and Regina grit her teeth. “Before these hallucinations began, you used to spend a lot of time outside. The sign at the main entrance is very old and the N in Stonybrooke has turned into an R. We believe you came up with the name Storybrooke during those last few times you were allowed outside before the hallucinations began.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Regina,” the doctor said and each time she said her name, it just angered Regina even more. She felt like she was being placated and that this woman, this so-called doctor wasn’t listening to a damn word she was saying. “Almost every person in this institute has played a role in your hallucinations. Do you remember our sessions?”

“No.”

The doctor shook her head before she took a seat beside the bed. “You told me about everyone that lives in Storybrooke, who they were before this curse that was cast and who they are now. You told me about a life that you lived there before the curse, that you were the Evil Queen from the Enchanted Forest.”

“That’s who I used to be,” Regina muttered under her breath.

“I spoke with your parents years ago to find out where something like this could come from and your mother informed me that when you were a very young girl, she used to read you fairytales every night before bed and that your favorite one was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”. Perhaps that is where you got this idea from without even realizing—”

“You’re wrong,” Regina said through gritted teeth. “My mother never read me stories, much less fairytales before bed. My mother never treated me like a child. I was just another means to her having the life she had always dreamed of having for herself.”

“Perhaps we should talk more about this another time,” the doctor said as she checked the small watch on her left wrist. “Your parents should be arriving shortly. I’m sure you’re looking forward to seeing them, aren’t you?”

Regina clenched her jaw, but she didn’t speak. She turned on the bed, facing away from the doctor. She didn’t want to be there any longer. She didn’t want to sit there and speak with this woman who was clearly more insane than this woman was trying to make _her_ out to be. Regina didn’t look at the doctor as she left the room, but she did look over at the orderly who stepped back inside carrying some fresh pajamas that were quite similar to the ones she already had on.

“How about we freshen up?” Charlie asked. “I’ll get one of the ladies to come and brush your hair if you’d like?”

“Okay.”

“Are you all right?”

“No.”

Charlie frowned as Regina slipped off the bed, but she felt a little too weak to stand on her own and sat right back down. She scratched at the mark where she’d been stuck with the needle and shook her head.

“I may need some help,” she said quietly.

“That’s what I’m here for.”

With the orderly’s help, Regina changed her clothes and while they were fresher than the ones she’d been wearing before, they still felt scratchy and dry, almost as if someone had used a little too much starch on purpose. She declined the offer for another orderly to come in and brush her hair, determined to do it herself under the watchful eye of Charlie.

Regina kept waiting to wake up from this nightmare she was trapped in, but every time she closed her eyes and opened them, she was sadly disappointed to find she was still trapped and still not home where she should be. Yet, as the minutes passed, her head grew a little clearer, and she started to wonder if this whole ordeal was a part of a curse she wasn’t aware of, a spell even, one that took her out of the picture completely. Whatever it was, she knew she had to figure it out, but how could she do that when these people kept pumping her full of drugs that caused her mind to feel heavy?

The exhaustion started to kick in more so once she’d finished a lame attempt in brushing her own hair. The orderly didn’t ask her nor did he say a word before he retrieved a wheelchair and helped her into it. Regina folded her hands on her lap and frowned as she was wheeled out of the room and down the hallway to an elevator that only opened when the orderly swiped a keycard just above the button to open the door.

“How long is the visit?” Regina asked as they rode down to the main floor.

“However long you are able.”

“Able?”

Charlie shrugged. “There have been incidents.”

“What kind of incidents?”

“Nothing too serious,” he said quickly. “But if you start to feel overwhelmed or anything else, say the word and I’ll return you to your room, all right?”

Regina nodded as the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open slowly. Charlie wheeled her out into an unfamiliar lobby and past some people, ordinary people with visitor passes clipped on their clothes, people who stared at her as she was wheeled past. Charlie headed down a hallway just off the lobby and into a small room that felt more welcoming than the other places in the institute Regina had been.

Well, at least it was until she saw the bars on the window, the security camera in the corner of the room, and what she knew for certain was a two-way mirror on one wall. Charlie pushed the chair until she was sitting by the large window where warm streams of sunlight shone in. He gave her a curt nod and a small smile before he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

“How has she been?” Regina heard a voice she’d never forget even if nearly thirty years had passed since she’d last heard it. “Has there been any improvement since the last time?”

“I’m afraid not, Mrs. Mills,” a man that Regina didn’t recognize replied. “Though the new medication is already showing promise from what I’ve heard from Dr. Fuller earlier. Regina has been alert this morning and there haven’t been any of the usual incidents.”

Regina turned to where she heard the voices coming from, from just beyond another door in the room. Her heart was racing quickly and that fear she’d always felt when she was around her mother started to take hold.

“Can we see her now, Doctor?”

“Absolutely,” the man said and the door opened slowly just a moment later. “Good morning, Regina.”

Regina looked over at the man and frowned, but she didn’t say a word as he walked into the room. She looked just past him at her mother, dressed in a tasteful gray pantsuit with her hair pulled tightly back into a bun, but it was her father that followed dressed in a simple brown suit and tie that had tears springing to her eyes at just the sight of him.

It was her mother who came forward first, smiling in a way that made her feel uneasy but comforted at the same time. She tried not to pull away when her mother placed a hand on her cheek, her palm not cold and stiff as she remembered it being, but warm and gentle. She looked over at her father who stood by the door they entered the room in and he looked unsure of what to do, what to say. She frowned as she caught his gaze from across the room and she could see the insurmountable sadness in his eyes.

“Regina?” Cora asked quietly, speaking to her as if she were speaking to a young child. “Regina, do you know who I am?”

“Yes,” she replied quietly. “You’re my mother.”

Cora smiled and she took a seat beside Regina’s wheelchair and reached for her hand. “Hello, my darling,” she said and Regina turned her head away to look over at her father once again. “We have missed you so very much. The doctor told us that things are improving.”

Regina pulled her hand away with a small shake of her head. She watched her father look around the room before he finally approached her and her mother, taking a seat beside Cora after pulling up a chair beside hers.

“Hi, Daddy.”

“Hello, sweetheart.”

Despite being in a place where she knew she did not belong, seeing her father again for the first time in almost three decades had her unable to control her emotions. She had always favored her father over her mother, simply because he had never treated her the way that Cora had. Her father had done nothing but love her unconditionally, even if she hadn’t always accepted that love or even tried to use it to stay good, to make better choices. Her father had never used her mistakes against her even if he had tried to help her choose a different path; one that would’ve stopped her from casting the dark curse in the first place.

A sudden wave of nausea washed over her and her vision started to blur. She could see her mother speaking, but she couldn’t hear her. All she could hear was her son calling for her, faintly at first, until it grew louder and louder and the room started to spin.

“Mom?” Henry said as he shook her gently. “Mom, are you okay?”

“Henry—”

“Mom,” he said and she blinked open her eyes and stared at Henry’s incredibly worried face. “Mom, are you okay?”

“I am now,” she whispered and she blinked a few times as she took a look around the room, her study, a familiar place. _Home_. “I am okay now, Henry.”

Regina just reached up and wrapped her arms around her son, basking in the warmth of his embrace as he hugged her back. Whatever was going on, she had to figure it out and soon, before she ended up in that place once again with no way out and no way to get home.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should apologize for the lack of updates (so here's my lamest apology). Just want to give a huge thanks to everyone who is sticking with this one. This is my slowest slow-burn and I am not going to lie, it's thrown me off my writing game. Anyway, hope those who are still sticking with this one or just started reading sticks around. I had the ending before I had the beginning, the middle, and everything else in between.  
> And it's the kind of ending we all ultimately want.  
> Enjoy!

Emma wasn’t sure how she ended up in her car, but it felt like she was trapped in a very strange dream she couldn’t wake up from. She tried to cover it well, for Riley’s sake, but those images of her waking up in a room, feeling unlike herself, being held down and pumped full of drugs, they were stronger than her will to forget about it completely.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, baby?” Emma asked as she looked back at her daughter in the rearview mirror.

“We go home now?”

Emma looked at the road ahead of her and realized they were very much on their way out of Storybrooke. She knew that earlier she wasn’t entirely sure about leaving just yet, but it seemed as if at some point she had made the decision to leave. She looked at the white take-out bag from the diner and picked it up as she slowed down and she opened the bag to find a few bear claws inside.

“Mommy?”

Emma sighed as she tossed the bag back down on the seat. “We are going home, Riles. Do you have everything?”

“Yep!”

“Okay,” Emma said and she breathed out deeply as the town sign loomed up ahead. “Okay,” she said under her breath. “Let’s do this. Let’s get the hell out of this town and go home.”

Emma pressed her foot to the gas pedal and the Bug zoomed down the road a little faster. She held her breath as she passed the sign and didn’t inhale until she saw the sign looming behind her in the rearview mirror. Emma wasn’t sure what she expected to happen, but when she could no longer see the sign, she sighed in relief and eased up on the gas, slowing down to the speed limit as the road gently curved.

The radio crackled until it tuned into a station playing some old classic rock. Emma just rolled down the window a little, smiling as she hummed along to Aerosmith’s Dream On. She didn’t relax until she saw the signs to follow to the nearest interstate and once she was following the bend to get on the interstate, she was beginning to experience some very complex emotions.

Should she have stayed in Storybrooke another day for Henry? Should she have stayed just to make sure he was going to be okay since something seemed to be going on with Regina? A part of her knew she had no right to stay there, no reason to even if she was worried about the kid.

A sinking feeling hit her hard and it made her stomach twist in knots. It wasn’t just Henry she was worried about leaving behind. It was those visions she’d experienced that she wanted to find the answers for, wanted to know why it had happened and if it wasn’t just a product of her imagination.

The last one still lingered in her mind and she could still feel the pain where the syringe had been stuck into her left arm and another just below her left shoulder. She could even feel the lingering soreness of the restraints that had been used on her on her wrists and ankles. She idly rubbed at one wrist and then the other with a deep frown.

She spent the next hour fighting the urge to turn around and drive back to Storybrooke. It was a constant battle of her thoughts versus her emotions and no matter which way she thought, nothing felt like it was the right thing to do. Stay or go. Stay or go.

“Mommy?”

“What, baby girl?”

“Why you crying?”

Emma looked into the rearview mirror and frowned. She wasn’t crying, not with actual tears, but her eyes were red and puffy as if she had just spent hours crying.

“I’m not crying, Riles,” Emma said. “I’m just tired.”

“We go back to see Henry one day?”

“Yes,” Emma nodded. “We will. One day.”

“Next week?”

“I don’t know, Riley, we’ll see.”

“Please, Mommy?”

“I told you we’ll see, okay?” Emma snapped and she gripped onto the steering wheel tightly and tried to calm down. She kept her eyes on the road despite there only being a few other cars sharing that section of the interstate with her, but she was already distracted enough as it was and she just didn’t need something else on top too.

Thankfully, Riley ended up falling asleep for the rest of the drive back to Boston. Emma drove them straight home and carried Riley up to their place and put her to bed. She went back out to grab the mail that was on the floor by the door and she went through the bills and junk mail as she made her way to the kitchen.

She tossed the mail onto the counter and checked the refrigerator, her nose scrunching in disgust as she got rid of the week old Chinese take-out from last Saturday night.

She had barely closed the lid on the trashcan when a knock sounded on the door. With a heavy sigh, she made her way to the door and opened it.

“Can I help you?” She asked the old woman that stood in the hallway just outside the door.

“Oh, thank goodness you answered. I tried calling, but your inbox is full,” the woman said and she used a red handkerchief to dab at her eyes. “Are you Emma Swan?”

“I am, yes,” Emma replied. “What can I do for you, ma’am?”

“I’m Beatrice Langdon, Carla’s cousin,” she said and she shook her head as she dabbed at her eyes once again. “I—I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

“Bad news?” Emma looked at her in confusion. “What happened? Is Miss Carla all right?”

“She was taken to emergency care this morning,” Beatrice said and she peered around Emma. “Is your little girl here?”

“Yes, she’s having a nap. We just got back home,” Emma said and she stepped out into the hall and closed the door a bit behind her. “What happened to Miss Carla?”

“The doctors said it was a stroke, but it’s not looking good. When she was conscious a few hours ago, she was asking for you. She told me to get in touch with you. When I couldn’t get a hold of you, I came here hoping to catch you at home. She would like you to come and see her if you get the chance.”

“Of course, of course,” Emma said. “What hospital?”

“She’s down at General. I was just going to head back there myself.”

“I’ll come with you,” Emma said. “Let me just get Riley. Do you have a car?”

“I took the bus.”

“Then you’ll come with us. Just give me a minute? Come in.”

Suddenly the rest of Emma’s problems seemed to be the very least of her worries and the only thing she had on her mind was Miss Carla. The old woman was the only thing close to family that she and Riley had, and the thought of not having her in their life was suddenly very sobering and very heartbreaking.

It didn’t take her long to get Riley up from her nap. All she said was that they had to go and see Miss Carla and Riley was up. She didn’t want to tell Riley anything else until she found out more about what had happened and what Miss Carla’s prognosis looked like.

Emma felt like she was walking in a dream world as she drove the few blocks to the hospital. Riley was chattering in the backseat to Beatrice who kindly responded to her questions with the patience of a saint.

After paying a fortune for parking, Emma led the way into the hospital before letting Beatrice take the lead. They went up to the ICU unit where they were stopped by a nurse and told that no children under the age of twelve were allowed inside unless they were immediate family. Beatrice immediately offered to sit with Riley in the waiting room while Emma went to see Miss Carla and after she thanked the old woman a dozen times, she was led to a room by one of the nurses to change into a sterile gown, cap, and little booties that went over her shoes.

“Are you Miss Carla’s daughter?” The nursed asked and Emma shook her head no. “Oh, but you are Emma Swan?”

“I am, yeah.”

“The way she spoke of you earlier when she was still conscious, it makes you seem as if you were her daughter. I apologize for the mistake.”

“It’s all right,” Emma said quietly. “Miss Carla is still family to me. To us.”

“Family is what we make of it and family doesn’t need to be blood to be family,” the nurse smiled, though the smile was tight and it didn’t reach her steely gray eyes. “Right this way. You can see her for a few moments. She hasn’t woken for a few hours and once you’ve seen her, the doctor will be in to discuss her condition with you.”

Emma was silent as she followed the nurse down to a small room and once she was led inside, she felt dizzy as she saw Miss Carla lying on the bed with tubes and wires hooked up to her body. She turned and found the nurse had left her alone and she took a few steps towards the bed, frowning as a steady beep filled the room, steady but slow.

Emma hated hospitals. She had nothing but bad memories of them of the few times she’d been in them in her life. She hated the smells, the sounds, and she even hated the fluorescent light that seemed a little too bright in all the rooms and hallways.

She looked at the woman in the bed. It hadn’t been that long since she’d last talked to her, but in her fog, she couldn’t remember when that was. Was it that morning? Was it the day before? Even if it had been that morning, it seemed like a lifetime ago now that she saw the old woman lying in a hospital bed, looking weak and still. Emma took another step towards the bed and her frown deepened.

“Hi,” she said softly. “It’s me. Emma.”

She watched the steady rise and fall of Miss Carla’s chest, but her eyes didn’t open and she showed no signs of hearing her.

“We were going to come and see you later, you know, not here, but at your house. Riley missed you, Miss Carla. She couldn’t wait to get home to come and see you.”

Emma shook her head and she reached out to place a hand on the one closest to her, careful not to touch the IV line that was taped to the back of it.

“This week has been so strange,” Emma continued. “I don’t even know where to start. I’m sure you’d laugh about half the things that had happened and tell me its just ridiculous. Maybe it is,” she said and she paused for a moment, wanting to laugh but she just couldn’t bring herself to. “I almost didn’t come back today, but I’m glad I did.”

“Me too,” Miss Carla whispered harshly and Emma stared down at her face, watching as she blinked open her eyes. “Hello, Emma.”

“Hi.”

Miss Carla’s eyes closed slowly. “I—I’m not well,” she said and Emma tried to fight the tears that sprang to her eyes. “I don’t think I’ll make it home again.”

“Don’t say that,” Emma said, her voice wavering. “Of course you will. You’ll get better and—”

“It’s my time,” she said as she tried to open her eyes again. “Emma, there is—there is something I need to—to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I know.”

“You know what?” Emma blinked in confused. “Miss Carla?”

She shook her head a little. “I know. Have Bea take you to the house,” she said, her voice barely audible, but she wasn’t stammering over her words any longer. “In my room, there is a book. You’ll know it when you find it.”

“A book?”

“Yes,” she murmured and she turned her hand over and gave Emma’s a gentle squeeze. “I’m happy you came, Emma. Where is Riley?”

“They wouldn’t let her come in.”

“Bastards.”

Emma laughed and Miss Carla gave her another gentle squeeze before she exhaled sharply and closed her eyes, her whole body relaxing little by little. Emma took a step back as someone knocked gently on the door behind her. She took a look at the woman and had to do a double-take because she’d seen her before.

“Hi,” the woman smiled. “I’m Dr. Fuller.”

“Y—you—”

“Emma, right?” She continued and upon Emma’s nod, she smiled again. “Would you like to come and talk? I can explain Carla’s condition—”

“Miss Carla,” Emma corrected her. “Everyone calls her Miss Carla, doctor.”

“Of course,” the doctor nodded. “Please, come with me.”

[X]

Henry waited until he heard the door to the study close before he made his way quietly to the front door. He pulled on his boots, his coat, and his scarf before he slipped out of the house.

Beth wasn’t answering her phone and when he’d called the station, the sheriff hadn’t answered the call either. He even called Ruby, but when she’d answered, she told him she was busy and that she’d call him when she had a break. She didn’t even bother to listen to a word he said and he had hung up in frustration.

He couldn’t deal with this alone. There was something seriously wrong with his mother and he couldn’t figure out just what it was. There were moments when she seemed like herself, but other moments when she wasn’t quite there and when she looked at him, there was a dead gaze that gave him absolute chills.

Henry walked around to where his bike leaned up against the garage and he got on, biking away as quickly as he could manage. It didn’t take long for him to reach the station and he walked in after stashing his bike at the side of the building. It was eerily quiet at the station and he found the sheriff standing in the room and flinging darts at the dart board above the cabinets.

“Henry,” Graham smiled. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for Beth,” Henry replied. “Do you know where she is?”

“She’s out on a call,” he said. “Is something wrong? Is there something I can help you with, lad?”

Henry looked at the sheriff for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I’m just looking for Beth.”

“She should be back soon,” he replied. “Does your mother know you are here right now, Henry?”

“No.”

The sheriff frowned and he knelt down in front of Henry. “Do you think that’s a good idea, lad? After everything that has happened in the last few weeks—”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Henry said lowly. “Mom’s not…she’s—”

“Probably very worried about you right now,” he finished and Henry frowned deeply. “Come on, let me take you back home—”

“No, I need to talk to Beth.”

“What about?” The sheriff asked and Henry shook his head. “Anything you can tell Beth, you can tell me too. You do know that, don’t you?”

Henry took a deep breath and while he did know that he could talk to the sheriff, it wasn’t the same as talking to Beth. The sheriff didn’t know half of the things that had happened and he certainly didn’t know that his mother had been acting strangely that day either.

“Henry?”

“Can’t I just wait for Beth?”

“You should go home and—”

“Please?” Henry asked. “She won’t be much longer, right? Can’t you like radio her to let her know that I need to talk to her?”

“It’s important, isn’t it?”

“Extremely.”

The sheriff scratched the back of his head before he rose up to his feet. With a heavy sigh, he walked over to the radio that sat on a table by the wall and called Beth.

“Yeah?” Beth’s voice rang out a moment after he punched in a few buttons and called her.

“Are you still on call?”

“Yep. What can I do for you, Sheriff?”

“Henry is here,” he said as he looked over at Henry. “He said he needs to speak with you and that it’s important.”

“What’s so important?” Beth asked. “Give him the radio and let me talk to him.”

“Right. Will do,” he replied and he motioned for Henry to come over to grab the radio. When Henry just stared at him with a raised eyebrow, he held up his hands and chuckled. “I’ll just go into my office and let you two chat for a minute.”

“Thanks,” Henry said and he didn’t press the call button on the radio until the sheriff was in his office with the door closed. “Beth?”

“Hey, kiddo, what’s going on?” Beth asked. “Why are you at the station? Does your mom know—”

“No, she doesn’t know that I’m here,” Henry answered quickly. “Beth, there really is something wrong with her.”

“Didn’t we just—”

“Beth,” Henry sighed in desperation. “I know you don’t believe me, but I need you to believe me right now. There is something wrong with Mom.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I—I don’t know,” he faltered. “But I need you to help me figure out what’s wrong with her. Please?”

“Henry, I—can you give me like five minutes?” Beth asked. “I’ll come talk to you when I get back to the station, okay?”

“Please don’t make me go back there.”

“Just wait for me and we’ll talk okay?”

“Okay.”

Henry put the radio down and looked over at the sheriff who was watching him with curious eyes from his office. Henry sighed and pulled off his scarf before sitting down at Beth’s desk, careful not to touch anything on the desk or to look like he was snooping. He spun around in the chair a few times, bored from waiting already, but also worried because of the way his mother was acting.

It was unusual and he wasn’t sure if it was because of Emma or if it was something else completely. He already knew his book didn’t hold the answer and if it did, it was impossible to find.

The one thing he was certain of, it had never happened before, not that he had noticed and he noticed a lot of things, probably _too_ many things. He knew he had to figure out what was going on because it was clear that there was more than just was there appeared to be.

“Hey,” Beth said when she breezed into the station and she put down a Styrofoam cup of coffee from Granny’s down on her desk. “So,” she said once she shrugged out of her black leather jacket and Henry moved from her chair so she could sit down. “What is going on, Hen? I thought we went through this this morning?”

“We did and it was even worse this time, Beth,” he said and he glanced over at the office to make sure that the sheriff was still sitting behind the closed door. “I don’t know what is happening but it is more than her just acting weird.”

“Okay, you’re gonna have to explain this to me as best as you can right now, okay? Do you mind if I take notes?” She asked and he shook his head no. “Okay, after I left this morning, what happened?”

“Mom was in the study doing work,” Henry said. “I went down when she didn’t call me for lunch like she always does and she was just sitting there.”

“Sitting there doing what?”

“Nothing,” he frowned. “She was just staring straight ahead at nothing. I tried to get her attention a bunch of times, but she didn’t even blink. She didn’t even know I was in the room until I touched her, Beth. That’s never happened before, not even before I called you over earlier. It was—it was really scary. It was like she wasn’t even there.”

“And you’re sure she wasn’t just busy?” Beth asked and he shook his head no. “Was she on the phone or anything?”

“No, she was just sitting there, Beth, like I said.”

“After you touched her, what did she do?”

“She didn’t even look at me at first and she didn’t even say anything. She just reached for her coffee and looked at it strangely before she went right back to staring straight ahead at nothing. She spilled her whole coffee all over her paperwork and herself and she didn’t even blink.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely weird and not like your mom at all. One time I sent her some reports and it had a jelly stain on it because I’d been eating those awesome jelly donuts. Let’s just say she freaked out when she finally went through them. I had to do them all over again because of one little jelly fingerprint stain.”

“I tried again,” Henry said, “and she blinked like she was waking up from a bad dream or something. I’ve never seen her look at me that way before like she was scared of something. I asked her if she was okay and she said she was okay now and she hugged me, but it was like she was gone just like that a minute later.”

Henry watched Beth as she scribbled down on her pad and she leaned back after a few minutes and exhaled sharply. She looked as confused as Henry felt in the moment and he felt deflated, almost as if there was no hope at all in getting help for his mother.

“I think we should just keep an eye on her. She might be having a rough time right now.”

“But why?”

“Emma?” Beth asked. “You brought her home. That’s got to be hard for her. I know you don’t understand, but—”

“Is it Emma’s fault she’s like this?” Henry blurted out. “Do you think that Emma did something to her?”

“Why would Emma do something to her, Hen?”

“I don’t know!”

“Okay, I’m going to ask you again, what do you want to do?”

Henry frowned as he stared at Beth and he shrugged. “I don’t know, Beth, but whatever it is we have to do, we have to figure it out soon, okay?”

“Let me ask you this,” she said as she leaned forward. “What was she doing when you left the house?”

“She was just sitting there, right where I left her after she hugged me and told me she was okay. Do you think something happened to her?”

“What? Do you want to come over and take her to the hospital or something?”

“No,” he shook his head. “No, not like that. What if something happened to her, like a spell or something?” He whispered. “What if someone did this to her?”

“Who would do this to her, Hen?”

“What if the curse is starting to break and people are starting to remember, Beth?” He asked and she just stared at him with a blank expression. “It could be anyone!”

“Someone with magic, I’d say, if it is a spell, Henry. I don’t think there are a lot of people who had magic before still have it now.”

“Rumplestiltskin,” Henry said almost a little too loudly and he clamped a hand over his mouth. “Gold! He _has_ to be the one behind this, Beth! Who else could it be?”

“Say he is behind this,” Beth said as she thought for a moment. “What do we do then? It’s not like I can just bring him in for questioning over suspicion that he’s behind your mom acting like this right now. I need a legit reason to bring Gold in. He won’t come willingly, that’s for sure.”

“Then come with me and I’ll talk to him.”

“Hen—”

“Please, Beth?” Henry begged. “I need to find out what’s wrong with my mom.”

“Thought you didn’t even care about your mom anymore? Isn’t that why you ran off to find Emma?”

“I—no,” he frowned. “That’s not true. I do care about her. A little bit. She’s, I don’t know,” he sighed heavily. “She’s still my mom, I guess, in a way. You know what I mean, don’t you?”

“Look, I think we need to work together and figure out what’s going on with your mom before we go to Gold. What if you’re wrong, Hen?”

“What if I’m right?”

“Let’s say you are right for a second,” Beth said and Henry watched her as she glanced over at the sheriff’s office. “What makes you think Gold will tell you anything, Henry?”

“I don’t, but we have to try.”

“Hen—”

“Beth, please?” He asked and he could feel a lump rising in his throat as Beth just stared at him with a deep frown. “Please, Beth? Can’t you help me? If you won’t do it for me, can you do it for my mom? I know you two are, you know.”

“We’re what?”

“You know.”

“No, Hen,” Beth sighed and he watched her try to hide the blush the rose on her cheeks. “No. God, kiddo, it’s not like what you’re thinking at all. Your mom and me, we’re just—”

“Really good friends?”

“Yeah.”

“Really good friends who kiss each other?” Henry questioned and Beth coughed awkwardly and shook her head no.

“It’s not like that,” Beth said.

“Then what is it like?”

“I’m with Graham,” she blurted out and Henry looked at her in surprise. “I’m with Graham.”

“Oh.”

Henry wasn’t sure how he felt about hearing that, especially not after seeing his mother kissing Beth earlier in the week. Adult relationships were complicated, those involving his mother even more so as he was learning. He shook his head and his thoughts rolled right back to the problem that led him to the station to talk to Beth in the first place.

“Beth, can you help me?”

“Yeah, Hen, I’ll help you,” she said softly. “We’ll figure this out, okay? Come on, let me take you home and I’ll see what I can do, but let me talk to Gold on my own.”

[X]

Emma sat in the hallway on the ICU floor, the gown no longer on and the cap in her hands. After speaking with the doctor, she knew the prognosis for Miss Carla wasn’t good. There wasn’t even a shred of hope that she’d make it through the next forty-eight hours without having another stroke that could be fatal.

Throughout all the medical jargon, the only thing Emma could think about was how she was going to explain to Riley why Miss Carla was in the hospital and why she wasn’t going to get better.

She wanted to stay even though she hated hospitals. She wanted to stay because aside from Beatrice, Miss Carla didn’t have any other family nearby to come be there with her. Suddenly, Emma got up from the chair she was sitting in, discarded the robe, the booties and the cap in the proper bin and found Beatrice and Riley in the small waiting room coloring together on a blank piece of paper.

Beatrice didn’t say a word as she stood up and smiled at her. Emma just nodded and watched the old woman walk out before she took a seat beside Riley on the couch and picked up a red crayon off the small coffee table.

“Where is Miss Carla?”

“She’s…very sick right now, Riles, and she’s in a room where you’re too young to go and see her right now.”

“Beatie said that too.”

“Beatie?”

“That’s what she told me to call her, Mommy.”

Emma laughed and shook her head. “Okay. That’s cool. What did you and Beatie do? Just color?”

“Yeah,” Riley nodded, not taking her attention away from the rabbit she was coloring in with the blue crayon. “Beatie drew this. Said it’s all she can draw. I like it.”

“It’s cute.”

“Beatie told me Miss Carla is gonna die, Mommy,” Riley said and she looked over at Emma with a frown. “Is she?”

“Oh, baby girl, Miss Carla is very sick,” Emma whispered and she pulled Riley into her lap. “The doctor said she’s not going to get better.”

“Why?”

Emma inhaled slowly and stroked her fingers through Riley’s curls. “Miss Carla is old and she’s not as healthy as she used to be when she was younger. Sometimes, people just can’t get better.”

“And then they go to Heaven?”

“Yes.”

“Can I go say goodbye, Mommy?”

“I—”

“I want to say goodbye,” Riley pouted. “Please?”

Emma didn’t know what to say, but she looked up as she heard the door to the waiting room open and saw the doctor standing there. Emma moved Riley back beside her on the couch and stood up, but the doctor held out her hand with a small smile and walked over to sit on the hard yellow chair near the uncomfortable couch.

“Is this your daughter?” Dr. Fuller asked and Emma nodded. Riley peered up at the doctor with big eyes. “Hi, sweetheart, I’m Dr. Fuller. What is your name?”

“Riley.”

“That’s a pretty name,” she smiled. “A pretty name for a very pretty little girl.”

“Thank you.”

“I wanted you to know that I am going to try and pull a few strings,” the doctor said to Emma as Riley went back to coloring. “I know you two aren’t immediate family, but after talking with you, and with Miss Carla’s cousin earlier, I know what you all mean to one another. As her prognosis isn’t good, if you give me about an hour, I can see what I can do. The chief of staff here will be making his rounds just before two and if you stay, I’ll take you two in to see her after he leaves.”

“You don’t have to put your job in jeopardy for us, doctor.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said and she reached out to pat Emma on the knee. “Just give me a little bit of time and I’ll take you two in to…to say your goodbyes. Is Beatrice here?”

“She just left. I—I’m not sure where she went.”

“If you see her before I do, inform her that one of the nurses has been able to get in contact with the rest of the family and they should be here in a few hours, hopefully.”

“Okay.”

“If there are any other questions, don’t hesitate to find me.”

“Thank you, Dr. Fuller.”

Riley turned to Emma and curled into her, a small whimper escaping as she buried her face into Emma’s side. Emma wrapped an arm around her and knew she was too tired to stay awake much longer, the long ride home from Storybrooke, despite her long nap, had made the poor girl too tired and restless.

Emma sat with Riley for the better part of an hour, holding on to her and then shifting her to her lap to let Riley fall asleep. It never failed to amaze Emma how her daughter could fall asleep just about anywhere at any given time.

Emma used that time to reflect on the past week, but every time she tried to focus her thoughts on what had happened, her mind went right back to the situation at hand and her worry for Miss Carla just grew bigger and bigger. She had never lost someone so close to her, not by death, and she wasn’t sure how to deal with it at all. By the second hour, she gently moved Riley to lay on the couch and she pulled her cell out of her pocket with a heavy sigh.

Beatrice chose that moment to walk in and she held her hands up to her mouth when she saw Riley fast asleep on the couch. She motioned for Emma to come over to the door and when she did, Beatrice pulled her just out into the hallway a little.

“The family is coming,” Beatrice said in a whisper.

“I know, Dr. Fuller—”

“I spoke with her son,” she said with a shake of her head. “It seems that Carla talked about you and Riley a lot during the last visit and now Tom’s afraid that you’re going to take her money.”

“Her money?” Emma blinked in confused. “Why would I—”

“It doesn’t matter what you wouldn’t do, he’s convinced,” Beatrice stated and she scoffed. “I know otherwise. This whole family is fifty shades of fucked up,” the old woman said and Emma tried not to laugh at how odd it sounded to hear the old woman swearing. “Carla mentioned a book, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she did, but she didn’t say much else.”

“Did she tell you where it was?”

Emma shook her head. “No,” she said and she hesitated because of a nagging feeling in her gut that told her not to say anything more. She didn’t know this woman even though she was Miss Carla’s cousin, but she didn’t know her enough to trust her.

“My suggestion,” she said as she gripped onto Emma’s arm tightly and she was surprisingly strong for such a small woman, “I would get there and find this book, whatever it is, before Tom and the rest of the family do.”

“I’d like to at least say goodbye and Riley wants to see her too,” Emma said. “Dr. Fuller said she’d pull a few strings to allow Riley in to see her.”

“Is that wise?” Beatrice asked in a tone that reminded her far too much of Miss Carla it was a little eerie. “She’s very young. She should not be exposed to death.”

“Death is a part of life, Beatrice. She is young, but she’s a bright girl and she understands.”

“Does she?”

“Yes, I know my daughter.”

Beatrice finally released the vice grip she had on Emma’s arm and sighed heavily. “Miss Carla adores her, most out of all the children she watches. If she wants anyone here to say goodbye, it would be you two, not her ungrateful, degenerate son and his bastard family.”

“Ladies, sorry to interrupt,” the doctor said as she approached them with a small smile. “Emma, if you can dress yourself and your daughter in the sterile gowns, I can take you in to see Miss Carla.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

“Would you like to come too?” The doctor asked Beatrice who immediately shook her head no.

“I need to ward off her degenerate son, thank you, I’ll go see her after Emma and Riley have left and before her ungrateful family comes in.”

The doctor laughed uncomfortably and turned to Emma. “When you and your daughter are ready, I’ll be waiting to let you into Miss Carla’s room.”

Emma turned to walk back into the waiting room, avoiding the odd gaze that Beatrice was giving her, and she gently picked Riley up off the couch as she nuzzled her nose against Riley’s to wake her up. Riley whimpered and shook her head and Emma tried again with another nuzzle until Riley opened up her eyes and frowned.

“Hey, baby girl, are you ready to go see Miss Carla now?”

“To say goodbye now?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Emma carried Riley out of the waiting room and to where they needed to go to dress in the sterile clothing. Riley was fighting sleep and Emma’s phone was buzzing as a call came in, but she ignored it as she tried to fit the too big cap over Riley’s head. She smiled as she tucked the last of Riley’s unruly curls under the cap and adjusted the too big gown she was wearing.

Emma took Riley’s hand and led her to where the doctor was waiting by Miss Carla’s room. She felt Riley hesitate a little once the door was open, but she looked down at her with an encouraging smile and that was all Riley needed to walk with her into the room.

Miss Carla was awake, something Emma was surprised about, and she turned her head slowly to look over at them as they walked in. Riley lit right up and tried to run to her, but Emma kept a firm hold on her little hand.

“Hi, Miss Carla!”

“Hello, sweetheart,” she said softly, her voice raspy and weak.

“I missed you!”

“I missed you too.”

Riley tugged on Emma’s hand with a frown. “Can I give her a hug, Mommy?”

Miss Carla just nodded and Emma picked Riley up and let her gently give the old, dying woman a hug. Sadness seeped into her heart as Miss Carla tried to hug Riley as tears fell from her eyes. Riley reached up and cupped her face, smiling at her as she wiped away the woman’s tears.

“Don’t cry,” Riley whispered. “It okay, Miss Carla.”

“I know, sweet girl, I know.”

Emma put Riley back on her feet and the doctor came to tell them they had only a few more minutes left. She hugged Miss Carla and listened as the woman whispered softly into her ear.

“That book will tell you all you need to know,” she said, her voice wavering. “Find it, Emma. It will help you.”

“Help me how?”

“You’ll see.”


	17. Chapter 17

Emma used the key Beatrice had given her and let herself into Miss Carla’s apartment. She carried her sleeping daughter into the living room and put her down gently on the couch before she headed for the bedroom.

A book, she was looking for a book, but as soon as she opened the bedroom door and turned on the light, she was greeted by hundreds of books all over the room and on almost every surface. She groaned and slipped the keys into her pocket as she took a few steps inside the cluttered bedroom. Miss Carla hadn’t said much else about the book other than she’d know it when she found it. That could mean anything and she groaned in frustration as she started to pick up the books off the dresser beside the door.

After looking through the books on the dresser, Emma thought it’d be easier just to give up, but as her eyes scanned over the large bookshelf along the furthest wall, that’s when she saw a book that looked oddly familiar. It stuck out from the other books as it was leather and the others were paperbacks, trashy romance novels bought at the local supermarket. She walked over to the bookshelf and ran her fingers down the dark brown spine of the book before pulling it out gently.

The book was identical to the one that Henry had, but there was no title on the book at all. She carried it over to the bed and sat down, careful to move one of Miss Carla’s sweaters out of the way first and she opened the book, feeling oddly drawn into it and she swore she could feel some kind of energy as she ran her fingers along the title page.

“Happy Ever After’s and Your Happy Ending,” Emma read the title aloud and she scoffed, but instead of closing it, she flipped the page. She scanned over the index before turning the next page.

It was written in the same font as Henry’s book and there were pictures, though the pictures on every second page were not of characters she recognized, they were of the people she had met and seen while she’d been in Storybrooke. The first few pages had only a list of names and their Enchanted Forest identities written beside them and when she reached the fifth page, she nearly dropped the book as she gasped in surprise.

The picture was of her, at least a very strong likeness to her and a double standing just in the background in the shadows. There was also a young girl that looked almost exactly like Riley and a boy that looked very much like Henry. She ran her fingers over the page and felt a roughness in one spot just to the right of the woman in the picture that looked like her and it was almost as if there was someone missing from that very spot.

She flipped to the next page and then the next, but they were blank. After turning the third page, it showed another picture of people she’d seen in passing in Storybrooke but they had a list, a story of sorts, their fate and their happy ending laid out in black and white. She continued to flip through the book until she reached the last six pages and there, unlike the rest, it read like an instruction manual, laying out the steps one would need to take in order to get their happy ending.

She scoffed at the ridiculousness of the whole book and its contents and as she closed it, a faded white envelope slipped out of the back and fluttered to the floor. She tossed the book beside her on the bed and picked up the envelope, an eyebrow rising as she saw her name written on it. On the back was her birth date and coordinates she was sure was where she had been found at the side of the road just hours after she was born.

She opened the envelope and pulled out the neatly folded piece of paper and inside was a long letter written in beautiful and elegant cursive.

_Dear Emma,_

_I have yet to meet you as I write this, but I know your destiny. To ask me how or why is utterly useless as I cannot give you those answers directly. All I can tell you is that everything in this book is deemed true, at least for those who came over when the dark curse was cast upon our land._

_I am neither your mother nor your father, but I am what you will one day call a friend, family even, when the time is right and our paths finally cross._

_When we meet, you will know me as the kind, gentle old woman who offers you something that you will need at the time. We will become close, almost family for a short time, but my own ending will be bittersweet and I will have yet to have the chance to tell you everything that I know. To tell you before, you would never believe me, so I must wait until the cards that have been dealt in your life have played out one by one, waiting until the last one, the one that leads me to tell you about this book as I lay on my deathbed._

_You are something special, Emma, a savior, and I am sure as you read this, you would have already figured it out or have been told that is who you are. You would have been told who you were your whole life and it may have never been true, but this time it is._

_This is who you are, the Savior, this is who you were destined to be, but it hasn’t been without a severe cost, the cost of you being an orphan, of never knowing your parents, your true family. You just need to believe everything is true and break the curse as you need to in order for a new deck of cards to be dealt in your life._

_There is one other thing, dear Emma, there will be someone who will jeopardize everything if you choose not to believe in who you are and what you are destined to do. This is why your happy ending in this book remains blank and it will until you set yourself on the right path. The one who will try to stop you—_

The letter ended abruptly and Emma frowned as she turned the paper over and found it blank save for a small ring of what looked to be a coffee stain. She folded up the piece of paper and picked up the book before walking out of the bedroom. She was about to walk out into the living room when her phone began to ring and a number she didn’t recognize showed up on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Hello,” a man said on the other end of the line. “Is this Emma Swan?”

“Yes—”

“Get out of the apartment,” he said quickly. “Don’t ask questions, just go. Run. _Now_.”

Emma wasn’t one to ignore a warning, whether it was from a stranger or not. She pocketed her phone and grabbed Riley while holding tight onto the book she’d found in Miss Carla’s room. She headed for the door but before she could reach for the doorknob, the door flew open with a bang that woke Riley up.

“Leaving so soon?”

“I—”

Beatrice chuckled lowly as she stepped over the threshold and with a wave of her hand, the door flung shut behind her without her even touching it. Emma gasped and she held tight onto Riley as the old woman slowly approached her. “I don’t think so, dear.”

[X]

Regina groaned as she lifted her head off the hard, thin pillow on the small bed. She had been waiting for hours to snap out of it, hours of staring up at the ceiling and willing herself to get out of this nightmare she was trapped in.

The visit with her parents had left her with a heavy feeling and the emotions were too hard and nearly impossible to process. Thankfully the visit was cut short due to her having what the doctor called an episode, but she was only just sitting there staring at her parents in bewilderment.

At least this time Regina wasn’t restrained to the bed, but she had absolutely zero energy and couldn’t even will herself to sit up. She could only vaguely remember the orderly sticking the needle in her arm once she was back in that room, only it wasn’t whatever they’d pumped into her before because this was making her lethargic and drained her energy completely.

After her brief moment with Henry, she was becoming worried that she had spent so long without him. Was he okay? Did he notice that there was something not quite right? She groaned again as she remembered the way he’d been treating her as of late and was convinced that if he did notice anything, he just didn’t care. The thought of that alone broke her heart, shattered it, and she felt even more drained than she had just a few minutes before.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed once she had closed her eyes, but she was woken by the sound of the door being unlocked. She turned to look at the orderly as he walked in and he smiled at her, a smile that wasn’t returned.

“How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Regina rasped. “What did you give me?”

“A mild sedative,” Charlie replied. “To calm you down.”

“I _was_ calm,” she said tightly. “There was no need for—”

“Are you hungry?” Charlie asked as he reached out for her hand and she took it and allowed him to pull her to sit up. “I could bring you some lunch if you’d like?”

“I’d like to eat somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else?”

“Not here,” she frowned. “Can I do that?”

“You’ll have to get the doctor to approve,” Charlie explained. “After your episode—”

“I did not have an episode!”

“Regina, what do you remember about the visit with your parents?”

“I remember enough to know that nothing happened and yet I was still dragged back here and given a _mild_ sedative. There was no need for that and I think you know that too, Charlie.”

He glanced back at the open door before he looked down at her with a frown and scratched at the scruff he had on his face. “My name isn’t really Charlie.”

“It’s not?”

“No.”

“What is your name then?”

“Neal,” he said with a small shrug. “When my father worked here, he always called me Bae, a nickname from when I was just a small child. I don’t remember how exactly, but I think one of the patients started calling me Charlie. I was new and I didn’t bother to correct anyone,” he said and he shrugged again. “Somehow, it just stuck with me and now everyone calls me Charlie or Charles.”

“But that isn’t your name.”

“No, my name is Neal Cassidy,” he replied. “It’s my mother’s side, the name,” he explained. “It’s a long story.”

Regina shook her head. “Why didn’t you bother telling anyone what your name really is?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Most of the patients call me what they want to anyway.”

Regina swallowed thickly as the fog in her mind started to lift. Bae. She’d heard that before, many years ago back in the Enchanted Forest. Rumplestiltskin. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the orderly and she shook her head. There was no way that was possible. Rumple’s son was long lost and his son had been the reason behind many of his evil deeds. The man in front of her certainly couldn’t be the Dark One’s son, not there where she was, not there in that nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

Nothing was making any sense anymore and she groaned as she ran her fingers through her hair, hating how dry and brittle it felt and how uneven the cut was. She shook her head as she dropped her hands down to her lap and looked over at Charlie-Neal again.

“Bae?” She asked and he just smiled. “Baelfire?”

“How did you know? My father used to—”

“That’s your true name, isn’t it?” Regina questioned. “It’s not Charlie. It’s not Neal Cassidy. It’s Baelfire.”

He shook his head and walked over to the door without a word. She thought he was about to leave when he just shut the door and turned to look at her, his expression on his face unreadable.

“It is,” he said softly. “That’s my real name, that’s what my father called me many, many years ago.”

Regina felt her head starting to spin as he approached her slowly and moved to sit next to her on the bed. “How are you here?” She asked. “How am _I_ here?”

“A spell,” he said and he frowned. “A very powerful spell. I wasn’t sure for the longest time if it was real, but—”

“But? If this is a spell, surely there is a way to break it.”

He shook his head. “There isn’t. As soon as I realized what was happened, what was really happening, I tried to find some answers and a way to break free of this, but there isn’t any, Regina. We’re trapped in a place that is not a part of the world we come from, from either of the worlds that we come from.”

“You know who I am.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “The Evil Queen.”

“That is not who I am anymore.”

“It is who you used to be, Regina,” he stated, but there was no malice in his voice and the smile he gave her was a warm and friendly one. “When was the last time you went back?”

“Back?”

“Back to Storybrooke.”

“Be—before that visit with my parents,” she stammered. “It was only very brief. I—I saw my son.”

“How many times?”

“A few,” she replied, knowing what he was asking despite the fog in her mind coming and going in waves. “This has never happened before today. I have never been here until today. How people here believe I have been here for the last twenty-eight years is unfathomable to me. How is that possible?”

“Because it is a spell.”

“Who cast it? Your father?”

“No,” he said and he sighed heavily. “It wasn’t my father.”

“Who was it?”

“Someone else, a woman,” he said and he swallowed thickly, the fear in his eyes so very clear. “She is one of the very few in the world you sent everyone to with the curse that has magic, very powerful and very dark magic. I met her when I was going through Boston on my way to New York City. I don’t know how long it has been as time passes very differently here, but when I met her, she knew who I was.”

“This woman, who is she?”

“I don’t know,” he said and he shook his head. “But she told me something that I have not been able to forget.”

“And what is that?”

“Emma Swan.”

“You know her?” Regina asked in surprise.

“Do you?”

“Yes, yes she came to Storybrooke about a week ago after my son went missing. She brought him home.”

“Emma is the Savior,” Neal said and he let out a small laugh. “I almost didn’t want to believe it at first, I mean I know Em, at least I used to a long time ago. But this woman, she told me a tale that I can never forget and she told me of her plans to stop fate from following the path it is meant to.”

“Is that why she cast this spell?”

“This spell was attached to your curse, Regina.”

“What?”

“It was attached to your curse, meant only to come into fruition if Emma Swan ever entered Storybrooke.”

“Then why are _you_ here?”

He sighed. “Because I was a threat too.”

“Why?”

“That is exactly what I’ve been trying to figure out.”

“But why now? Why am I here now?” Regina asked and Neal shook his head. “Why would I be here if it was meant for Emma?”

“I don’t know, Regina, but I think that for whatever reason you are here right now, it’s because your fate intertwines with Emma’s.”

“Why would my fate intertwine with her?”

“She is Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter,” Neal stated. “She is the Savior, meant to break _your_ curse. It was foretold before she was born and you tried to stop it, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but—”

“She escaped to a world where you couldn’t put an end to her life because she was meant to break the curse.”

Regina shook her head. “If you’re here, how do you know about the curse? Storybrooke?”

“I spent years looking for her and when I was in Boston and on my way to New York City, close to finding her, that’s when I met that woman that sent me here.”

“Why were you looking for her?”

“I wanted to stop her,” he said and he stood up from the bed slowly. “I wanted to stop her from ever finding Storybrooke and from fulfilling her destiny.”

“Why?”

Neal shook his head. “I know what life was like before,” he said quietly and he glanced back at the door as someone walked past out in the hallway. “I don’t want that for her.”

It went without saying what he was thinking, that if the curse was broken they would end up back in the Enchanted Forest, but not even Regina knew what would happen if the curse broke.

But she did know that whatever happened, wherever they would end up when the curse was broken that it would definitely be a hell of a lot better than the place she was in now.

“We need to get out of here,” Regina stated. “The sooner the better.”

“Agreed.”

“This woman that sent you here, who is she?”

“I don’t know who she is, Regina.”

“Did she at least tell you what her name is?”

Neal furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. He sighed as he scratched idly at his scruffy cheek. “She went by the name Beatrice Langdon, but I know that is not her real name.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because the real Beatrice Langdon is trapped here with us.”

“Can you take me to see her?”

“Why?”

“If she was sent here with the same spell that brought us both here, maybe she can help us figure out what the hell is going on.”

“I don’t know if I can do that, Regina.”

“Why not?” Regina demanded. “I am not mentally ill, surely you know that. If I were, would I be having this conversation with you right now?”

“No, but—”

“Then take me to see her.”

“I can’t,” Neal said lowly. “She’s in a different ward. I don’t have access to that floor. And even if I did,” he paused. “I couldn’t take you there. As far as anyone else is concerned, you are a patient here, Regina, and there isn’t much I can do about that either.”

“Why not?”

“Nobody here can leave.”

“My parents—”

“Like the curse you cast, just as Storybrooke is, this place is stuck in a loop in time. The same day is repeated, the past and all the details nothing but a lie. Your parents come every day, I don’t know where they come from or how they leave, but I do know that nobody else ever leaves this place.”

“Have you tried?”

“Every damn night I try,” he muttered. “And every time I make it to the wall, something happens and I black out and when I wake up it is morning again and I’m about to start my shift.”

Regina was getting a lot of information about the spell just from hearing the small details from Neal. She needed more, but what she had learned was enough to start racking her mind, her memories of what type of spell this was and how to break it in a land without magic and in a place where she was not completely in control of herself. She just needed to figure out why she was here and then back in Storybrooke for flashes at a time as well as why it had only started and not on the night when Emma Swan first arrived in town.

She also knew that if she ended up back in Storybrooke, she needed to send for help, but who would help her? How would they help her? Why would they want to? Not even her own son could stand to be around her anymore and she doubted that he even loved her the way he once did.

She had to try, though. She _had_ to try. What other choice did she have? She had no idea how long she would be stuck in the spell or how many more times she’d be sent back and forth before she stayed right there forever.

[X]

There was a loud buzzing noise in Emma’s head as she blinked open her eyes. Confusion took over as she tried to sit up, but she could feel the unfortunate unfamiliar feeling of being strapped to a bed when she tried to move and the confusion turned to panic. She lifted her head and tried to blink through the fog in her mind and the panic increased ten-fold when she didn’t recognize the room she was in.

“Riley,” she whispered, her voice rough. “Riley?”

The only light in the room came in the half inch slit at the bottom of the door that wasn’t too far from the bed, but it gave enough light for her to see her surroundings once her eyes adjusted.

“Riley!”

“Shut up!”

Emma swallowed thickly as the voice boomed inside the room, but she didn’t see anyone else in there. She struggled to get out of the restraints, but they held her tight to the bed. She groaned as the straps dug painfully into her wrists and she tried to relax, but the only thing on her mind at the moment was her daughter.

“Riley!”

“I said shut up!” The voice, a man, shouted and Emma twisted to try and see where it was coming from. A soft and sinister chuckle echoed through the room that sent chills down her spine. “Over here.”

She craned her neck to look at the direction the voice was coming from and she could just faintly see a hole in the wall with bars covering it. As her eyes adjusted more to the darkness on that side of the room, she could see someone just beyond the bars watching her.

“Who are you?”

“Nobody you know,” the man replied. “Another prisoner, if you will.”

“Where are we?”

“Now that is a good question.”

Emma groaned as she felt a sharp pain in the side of her neck and moved until she lay straight against the hard bed. She focused on her breathing, but it was hard to for more than a handful of seconds before the panic settled in again. She had no idea where she was or where Riley was. The last thing she remembered was Beatrice entering Miss Carla’s apartment and the door shutting with magic. _Magic_.

Emma didn’t believe in magic. Magic was fiction. Magic did not exist in the world because it was just imaginary. Magic wasn’t real, it just _couldn’t_ be real because her mind couldn’t fathom the thought that magic could be real and that her life had turned out the way it had.

Henry believed in magic. He believed that his town was under a curse cast by his adoptive mother, someone he believed had been the Evil Queen before she had cast that very curse. Henry was only a child and children believed absolutely anything, even when their imaginations went wild.

But Henry wasn’t the only one who believed. Beth believed though it wasn’t in an overly obvious way, but she still believed the same things that Henry did.

“Hello?” The man beyond the bars drawled out. “Are you still with it, girlie?”

“Yes.”

“If you don’t struggle, she’ll release you from your binds, but not from the room itself.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I was where you are now before.”

“Who are you?”

“Now _that_ is also a good question,” he said before he started to giggle and the sound of it made her feel queasy. “It’s been so long, so very long. I am not who I used to be, but who I am since I’ve been trapped between these four walls. Now? Now it is just a waiting game. Every day is exactly the same. Every day, now isn’t that something? Not much different than the curse. Worse off this way, if you ask me.”

“Who did you used to be?” Emma asked and she clenched her fists as he giggled again. “Do you remember?”

“Yes, yes I do, but I am not he and he is not I.”

Emma shook her head and tried not to fight against the restraints, but her instinct was telling her to and she was finding it next to impossible to resist that pull to fight and flee.

“Who is Riley?”

“Who are you?”

“I asked you first.”

“ _I_ asked you first,” Emma snapped and she clenched and unclenched her fists. “Who are you?”

“Just another—”

“Who the hell are you?” She nearly screamed and the man giggled again. “Please. Just tell me a name. Any name.”

“Any name?”

“Yes.”

“Some called me the Mad Hatter,” he replied after a beat. “But other’s knew me as Jefferson.” He went silent but in the quiet of the room, she could just faintly hear him pacing. “I know who you are. You were supposed to save us. Why didn’t you save us? Why didn’t you break it? The curse? Why didn’t you?”

“I am not a savior.”

“You are. You are the Savior we’ve been waiting for, Emma Swan. Twenty-eight years. We have all waited for twenty-eight years. It was foretold and so it shall be, but you ended up here with me, so what does that make you now, _Savior_? A prisoner. Just like me. Just like all of them. Only this?” He said and he muttered incoherently under his breath for a moment. “This,” he drawled. “This is so much worse. This is something unbreakable. Unbeatable. This is something not even your worst of the worst nightmares could dream up.”

“So, you’re telling me this is hopeless.”

“That is exactly what I’m saying!”

“Not helping.”

“I wasn’t trying,” Jefferson countered. “You are the first person aside from _her_ I’ve spoken with in twenty-eight years.”

“Who is she?”

“I know, I know,” he muttered. “But you don’t know. You have no idea, girlie. You have _no idea_ just who she is or what she is capable of. You have no idea. No idea.”

“Tell me.”

“Now why would I do something as foolish as that?”

“Yes, why would you do something foolish as that?” Beatrice asked as the door to the room Emma was in slammed open and she was nearly blinded by the light that flooded in suddenly.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Jefferson whimpered and Emma strained to look at the bars over the hole in the wall, but the man behind it was no longer there.

Anger flooded her whole body at once as she looked over at the woman standing in the doorway. “Where is my daughter?”

“Who?”

“My daughter! Where is she?”

The woman chuckled as she took a few steps into the room, her physical appearance changing little by little with each step. The woman she knew as Beatrice was someone else.

"I assure you that you don't have to worry about your daughter, dear," the woman said and she ran her hands down the front of her blue dress she was suddenly wearing in place of the gray one she'd had on before. "She is being well looked after as we speak, in fact," she said with a sinister chuckle, "I doubt she doesn't even realize she's not with you."

"If anything happens to my daughter, I swear—"

"You'll kill me?"

A beat.

"Dear, you couldn't lay a finger on me if you tried," she purred. "You have no idea who you are dealing with, do you?"

"No, but you don't know me. I may be restrained now, but if I wasn't, if I wasn't—"

"You still wouldn't be able to do anything to me. Dear, don't you realize that I am much more powerful than you'll ever be?"

Emma looked at the petite woman and raised an eyebrow. Was this lady kidding? Was she high on something or just delusional as hell as well as bat-shit crazy? Emma pulled on the restraints despite knowing it was useless and she frowned as she glared at the woman who just stared at her with a sinister smile.

"You said you are not a savior and you are most certainly correct. You are here right now to make sure that you never become the savior you were _destined_ to be."

"I don't give a fuck what I was destined to be," Emma snapped. "I don't belong here!"

The woman tittered as she began to pace by the door. "You don't even know your own destiny, Emma Swan," she said. "You have no idea what the stakes are, do you?"

"The only thing I care about right now is my daughter," Emma said through gritted teeth.

"Only your daughter?" The woman tsked. "What about your _son_?"

"He is not my son. Another woman adopted him. He's hers."

"You truly wish to have your son being raised by that woman?" She tsked again. "Do you even know who she is, dear? Do you even realize what she is?"

"Enlighten me," Emma challenged. "Who and what is she, hmm? Because as it stands, she was a hell of a lot better of a mother than I could be for him at the time and she is a hell of a lot better of a person than _you_ are."

"And who do you think I am?"

"A horrible bitch."

"Is that the best you can do?"

"At the moment?" Emma quipped. "Yes."

The woman laughed low and deep and it sent a shudder through Emma’s body. Despite the urge to fight against the restraints, Emma lay still and kept her eyes on the woman. It had fallen so quiet in the room she could just faintly hear the sound of the man in the next room pacing by the hole in the wall. She kept her eyes on the woman, not knowing what to expect of her, but that sinking feeling deep in her heart told her that this was a situation she was unlikely to get out of anytime soon.

Riley. All she could think about was Riley. Where was she? Did that woman do something to her? She groaned as she suddenly felt nauseous and helpless, weak.

She could feel something else something that prickled at her skin and it wasn’t in a pleasant way. The closer the woman got to her, the more she felt it, and it made her feel even more nauseous with every passing second. She wet her dry lips and clenched her fists tightly, still fighting the urge to resist against the restraints.

“Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want from me?” Emma demanded and it drew out another sinister laugh from the woman that made Emma’s head spin.

“I told you want I want,” she drawled out and she moved to stroke a finger along Emma’s cheek, her bright red and long—and very sharp—fingernail dragging along Emma’s clammy skin. “I am simply preventing you from fulfilling your destiny, dear.”

“Why?” Emma asked and she shuddered as the woman withdrew her finger away from her cheek. “Why does that matter to you, huh?”

“You are so wonderfully oblivious, Emma Swan,” the woman chuckled with a shake of her head. “So naïve. You believe the world to be black and white when there are so many shades in between. Do you think your little trip to Storybrooke was just by chance? Do you think your son wanted to find you because he was curious about his birth mother? No, nothing is by chance, dear. Everything happened as it was foretold many, many years ago, and I have waited and waited a very long time for this moment.”

“A very long time,” the man on the other side of the wall muttered. “Too long, too long.”

“There are those who were meant to help you,” she continued and Emma clenched her jaw, fighting back words she knew would only anger the woman. “I eliminated them from the picture, though I’m afraid there are others I’ve missed. Your dear old friend Carla was one of them, dear. She knew far too much. She should’ve never had that book, you see, and I’m still trying to figure out how she ever came into possession of it in the first place.”

“You—”

“I took care of what I needed to,” she said and Emma shook her head and blinked back the tears that formed in her eyes. “What a sweet old lady that woman was, hmm? But she knew far too much for her own good. Unlike the others, I had to deal with her in another way, although I hadn’t anticipated your return from Storybrooke so soon. I hadn’t expected you to return at all, but that just made things easier for me, dear.”

“You’re fucking crazy, lady.”

“Careful,” the man said. “Don’t push her buttons, girlie.”

“Shut up!” The woman yelled at the man beyond the wall. “If you don’t shut up, I will send you there with the others!”

“Where?” Emma challenged. “Where would you send him, huh? Surely any place is better than being here with you.”

“Surely?” The woman purred and she moved to grab ahold of Emma’s face, her long fingernails digging into Emma’s cheeks. “Do you want to find out, dear?”

“No.”

Another sinister chuckle fell past the woman’s ruby red lips and Emma tried to pull free from the hold she had on her to no avail. The woman leaned in closer and she could smell just a hint of cinnamon, an almost familiar scent for someone she’d never met before. Before she could figure out what—who—that scent reminded her of, the woman released the hold she had on her face but not before Emma could feel the skin breaking and a small trickle of blood seeping from the few indents where the woman’s fingers had dug into her skin.

“No?” The woman challenged. “No?”

“No,” Emma said through gritted teeth. “Go to hell, lady.”

Suddenly Emma felt the restraints loosen and she sprinted up from the bed, fighting with the straps that still clung to her wrists and ankles. With her fists clenched at her sides, she was ready to fight the petite woman, but when she saw a dark light crackle from the woman’s fingertips, she stopped dead in her tracks.

“I had hoped to do this the easy way,” the woman drawled and with a flick of her wrist, Emma felt herself bound and floating a few feet off the floor. “But I can do this the hard way as well, dear.”

“Let me—”

“Go?” The woman finished for her as her outstretched hand curled into a fist and Emma gasped as she struggled to take a breath against the invisible restraints that were tightly bound around her body. “You want to go, Emma?”

Emma could barely breathe much less talk and her eyes widened in fear as the woman shook her head and opened her fist, the bounds loosening just enough for Emma to catch her breath.

“I don’t believe we have been formally introduced,” the woman said as Emma was eased back down to her feet but the invisible binds didn’t disappear just yet.

“I don’t give a fuck who you are, just let me go!”

“Oh I will let you go, dear,” she said slowly, a fire igniting in her eyes that absolutely terrified Emma. “I will send you to where you can never leave. Do say hello to my dear old daughter while you’re there, will you?”

“Who?”

“Regina, of course.”

“You’re—”

“Her mother,” she said and with her other hand, she reached out as if she were going to shake Emma’s hand and laughed as she pulled it back and tightened her fist once more. “Cora.”

Emma couldn’t fight as she tried to hold on, tried to keep breathing, but the bind she was in made it nearly impossible. Her eyes slid shut just as the room began to spin and then everything quickly faded to black.


	18. Chapter 18

Regina paced in the room that had become her prison and every once in a while she would stop by the door to look out the tiny barred window to hear screams echoing down the hall. She wasn’t the only prisoner in that place, but from the sounds she heard, she was the only one who wasn’t being tortured as it were.

It felt like it had been hours since Neal had been in there, hours since their conversation that changed her entire perspective on the dire situation she was in. But, there was no way in telling just how much time had passed and the view out the window didn’t give her any hints either.

Being unaware of the time was maddening to her. Being trapped and unable to leave even more so. Neal had promised to come back, though when that would be he couldn’t tell her, but he had promised and for some reason, Regina had believed him. There, she had nobody else, and everyone else truly believed she was a patient, crazy, criminally insane. Years ago she would’ve agreed that she belonged in a place such as that with all the things she’d done in her time as the Evil Queen, but now? Now she didn’t belong there, she didn’t _deserve_ to be there.

She moved to the door and peered out the barred window, the view very limited, but she froze when she saw a flash of blonde hair just beyond her view, a woman accompanied by a few orderlies as they led her into another room, fighting with her, struggling.

“No! Please!” The woman begged and Regina strained to get a better look. “Please, don’t put me in there! Please!”

“Look, missy, it’ll be easier for you if you don’t fight us,” one of the orderlies snapped at her. “Don’t fight us and we won’t have to sedate you. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good, now move!”

_Emma_ , Regina thought. Emma was there again. The question was, _why_ was she there? Was Emma trapped in the spell too, or was this just a version of Emma that was all a part of the spell?

Her head pounded as the thoughts assaulted her mind and she pushed back away from the door and resumed in her pacing. She tried to drown out everything, but it was proving to be impossible as the conversation she’d had with Neal began to repeat itself for the umpteenth time.

While the thoughts were racing through her mind, her head wasn’t as clear as she needed it to be, but, she reasoned, at least she hadn’t been given any medication since the last time, and that helped her keep her wits about her somewhat. Still, she couldn’t think of who would be powerful enough to cast such a spell and she couldn’t even think of the kind of spell it’d take to create an alternate universe such as this. It was almost like the curse she’d cast, but it wasn’t. Even without her magic, she could feel that there was something very oddly different about this spell.

She stopped pacing when she heard the door unlock and she stood stock still as it opened and the doctor walked in.

“Hello, Regina,” Dr. Fuller said slowly. “I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to come check on you after your visit with your parents. What happened?”

“Nothing happened.”

The doctor shook her head. “Do you not remember?”

“Remember what?”

“You nearly attacked them,” she said evenly. “We had to restrain you and unfortunately put an end to the visit.”

“That did not—”

“You don’t remember, do you?”

“No, that is not what happened!”

“Regina, you suffer from what we call an alternate state of mind, so to speak. You see the world far differently and perceive events that happen in another way, ways that didn’t actually happen. This new medication has brought you forward, but we have a long way to go before we can call it a success.”

Regina shook her head. “No, you’re wrong, _doctor_.”

The doctor headed for the door with a sad shake of her head. “I was hoping we could move forward, make some real progress now that the medication has worked to bring you out of the state you’ve been in for such a very long time now. I’ll come back around in the morning to see you. Enjoy the rest of your day, Regina.”

“Unlikely,” Regina muttered under her breath as the doctor stepped out and pulled the door shut.

Regina didn’t sleep that night, she couldn’t with the noises she heard, the patients screaming, muttering, and banging on the padded walls. She alternated between pacing the floor and trying to lie on the uncomfortable bed, forcing her eyes shut until she saw stars, but sleep never came.

At some point in the middle of the night, the soft sound of a buzzer could be heard and Regina felt a whoosh of magic fill the air all around her. It felt intense and there was a brightness that filled the room immediately. When her eyes adjusted to the light, there was a soft stream of sunlight shining through the window and very faintly she could hear birds chirping outside.

A soft knock sounded on her door before it opened and an orderly she didn’t recognize walked into the room carrying a small tray of food. He just gave Regina a curt nod as he placed the tray on the chair by her bed and quickly retreated out of the room.

Regina looked at the food in disgust. Steel oats like her mother used to make her eat daily that looked anything but fresh, an apple that was bruised and looked like it had been passed around a hundred times, and a questionable glass of orange juice that she knew the flakes inside of it was not just pulp. Even the lone piece of toast looked completely inedible, and Regina was thankful that at least she didn’t have an appetite or was hungry enough to eat what had just been served to her.

Regina walked over to the door and peered out, groaning in frustration with her limited view. Mere minutes ago, it had been the dead of night and now it was morning. Magic was not always as simple as it seemed and she knew the drastic shift in time was a part of the spell she was currently trapped in. If Neal hadn’t told her what he had, it might’ve taken her a long longer than she cared to admit to figure it out. Her mind still wasn’t functioning as it should and that too bothered her to no end.

She backed away from the door when she saw Neal and the doctor stop in front. Neal was the first to walk in and he gave her a look as he motioned for her to go sit on the small bed.

“We’ll try this,” the doctor said. “A new medication.”

“Are you sure?” Neal asked as he turned to look back at the woman. “She’s…up and—”

“Charles, you are _not_ a doctor. Now,” she said as she motioned to him. “Restrain the patient, please, so that I can administer the medication.”

Neal walked over to Regina and motioned for her to lie on the bed. She complied only because she didn’t want any problems, but she was terrified and her body shook as she lay back and allowed Neal to pull the body restraint over her first.

“I switched it,” he whispered faintly. “It’s not the medication.”

“I—”

“Don’t say a word,” he said under his breath and he fixed the cuff onto Regina’s left hand, careful not to pull it too tight. “I switched it because now I know. Just play along. If she finds out—”

“Charles, would you hurry up?” The doctor said impatiently as she approached the bed. “I have other patients to tend to.”

“Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.”

Neal continued to quickly work to restrain Regina to the bed and he mouthed “sorry” before checking each restraint. He took a step back to allow the doctor to come in and inject Regina with the medication she believed was inside of it already.

“Hold still now,” the doctor said as she rubbed the spot on Regina’s left arm with a small alcohol pad. “Breathe in.”

Regina inhaled deeply and kept her eyes on Neal as she watched him hover in the doorway. She winced as she felt the needle slide in and she turned to look away from the doctor until she no longer felt the pinch of the needle in her vein.

_Just play along_ , she thought as Neal’s words came back to her. She blinked a few times as she turned to look up at the doctor. She wasn’t worried about playing along. She could do it if it meant she didn’t have to stay strapped to that bed all day long.

“I didn’t like the breakfast this morning,” Regina said slowly.

“No? Isn’t it your favorite, Regina?”

“No.”

The doctor chuckled softly and patted her arm. “Well, I’m sure that Charles can take you to the common room in an hour and see about getting you something else to eat. How are you feeling?”

“Okay.”

“Okay enough for a visit with your parents later this morning?”

“I—” Regina stopped when she suddenly remembered that the doctor was not aware that the same day was on constant repeat. With a slow nod of her head, she smiled. “Yes.”

“Wonderful. I’ll be back to check in on you, Regina. Charles,” she said as she turned to the orderly standing in the doorway. “Give her a few minutes before you release her and then you can take her to the common room to get her something else to eat.”

“Yes, Dr. Fuller.”

Regina lay still on the bed until the doctor was out of the room and Neal stepped in, closing the door almost completely before he approached the bed. He undid the restraints quickly and Regina sat up and rubbed at her arm where the needle had gone in.

“You okay?”

“Yes.”

“I—I have to go and come back, but I didn’t want to leave you like this,” he stammered. “I will come back for you soon.”

“Neal?”

“Yeah?”

“Is it going to be like this every day?”

“Yes,” he frowned. “I’m afraid you don’t get used to it. Just try not to rouse any suspicion and everything will be fine.”

Regina was used to reliving the same day over and over again with the curse in Storybrooke, but this was different. Here, she didn’t have the freedom to do as she pleased. Here she was a prisoner, unable to leave the small room aside for small periods of time where she was taken to the common room or elsewhere. Here she was stuck in a life she didn’t want, a life she feared would take its toll sooner rather than later.

She had to figure out how to break the spell, the leave this place before she couldn’t. She already had gone far too long without slipping out of the spell and it was driving her crazy because all she could do was worry about Henry and what was happening back in Storybrooke at that very moment.

[X]

Emma groaned as she struggled to open her eyes, and very slowly the room started to come into focus. Her mouth felt dry and there was a slight buzzing sound ringing in her ears. With another groan, she sat up on the hard bed and sighed in relief to find she was not restrained.

But she was trapped.

The room was the place of her nightmares and she tried to breathe steady and sure to stay calm. The floor was cold on her bare feet as she put them down and she slowly rose from the hard bed and walked over to the door. There was no handle on the inside and the walls on either side of the door were padded. The small window in the door had bars and Emma peered out of it into a bland hallway.

A few people in white scrubs walked past and when she saw a flash of someone she recognized from her past, she banged on the door excitably.

“Neal!”

The man turned just a little as he walked past, but he didn’t show any recognition. Emma knew she wasn’t imagining things and she’d know Neal Cassidy anywhere even after almost eleven years.

“Neal!”

“Quiet in there,” another man said as he passed by the door.

Emma stepped back from the door, waited for the people in the hall to pass before she stepped forward and tried to get a better view of what lay beyond the door. She could only see a wall with several other doors that were closed and nothing more. With a frustrated grunt, she slammed her hands on the door and was startled when a familiar face popped up in front of the barred window.

“Neal!”

“Em?” Neal looked at her in surprise. “What—how are you here? What the hell are you doing here?”

“I don’t know!” She said in a rush. “You’ve got to get me out of here. Please.”

“There is no way out,” Neal said and he shook his head. “I’ll be back for you, Em, just give me an hour, okay?”

“Where are you going?” Emma asked as Neal walked away and she pounded on the door. “Neal!”

Emma shook her head and started to pace in the small room. Bit by bit the last day started to come back to her. The long drive home from Storybrooke, Beatrice showing up, Miss Carla in the hospital dying, the book and the letter that was inside, and then Beatrice not really being who she appeared to be, taking her captive and then she ended up back in the place she went to in her nightmares.

Only this wasn’t a part of her nightmares. She already knew that from the last time she ended up there. It still felt like a dream because her mind was in such a fog. It disoriented her and it made her feel extremely irritable.

She tried to think back to Miss Carla’s letter and though she’d read it in its entirely, she couldn’t even remember now about half of what had been said. The parts she did remember, about how whoever had written that letter had known of her before she met her, that was the part that sent chills down her spine just thinking of it. How was something like that even possible? How would this person know about her long before they ever met one another? She wasn’t even sure it had been Miss Carla who had written the letter as it had stopped so abruptly.

And that phone call. Who was that man who called her to warn her to get out of the apartment? Who was he and how did he even get her number? Was it Miss Carla’s son? Did Miss Carla know that Beatrice was not who she really claimed to be?

Thinking about everything was making her head spin, but she had to figure things out. She just _had_ to if she ever wanted to see her daughter again.

A wave of nausea passed over her at the thought of Riley. She had no idea what had happened to her daughter in the time she blacked out in the apartment to the time she had woken up in that room with the man on the other side of the wall and the woman she thought was Beatrice had transformed into someone else entirely.

She sat down on the bed and held her head in her hands as she saw that moment all over again so fresh in her memory. The way that woman had transformed physically was not possible. It couldn’t be possible. But she had seen it clear as day and it had been very real. She could still feel that chill run down her spine remembering the details of that very moment. But in her mind, it wasn’t real.

It just couldn’t be real.

She stood up from the bed as she dropped her hands and searched around the bare room. Aside from the bed, there was a small toilet in the corner and a chair beside a table that was attached to the wall. There was nothing else in the room aside from a notebook on the desk that was empty. Nothing that indicated anything other than she was basically a prisoner in that room.

And that terrified her.

Emma examined the room further but came up empty as to where she actually was. Her panic was rising as she paced in front of the door waiting for Neal to return.

Neal being there held a whole lot of other questions she hoped to get the answers to and soon. As she waited for him, the minutes went by and felt like hours, but with her limited view out the barred window in the door, she could see a clock on the wall and she knew that not as much time had passed as it had felt.

Emma ran her hands through her hair, feeling the tangles and the knots pulling around her fingertips. She frowned. It reminded of her when she was just a child and unable to take care of her long hair and foster parents who nearly yanked her hair out of her scalp trying to brush it. Memories of that made her shudder and a wave of nausea washed over her. She tried to push those memories out of her head, but as she pulled her fingers free, she could feel the tug on her hair that made tears spring to her eyes and the ghost of a scream that echoed inside of her head.

“Emma?”

Emma blinked open her eyes as Neal called out her name. She shook her head and wiped the tears that had fallen down her cheeks. He frowned as he peered into the barred window and she heard him unlock the door. She wanted to run into his arms at first the moment the door opened, but then a flood of rage filled her.

“You just left me.”

“I told you I was coming back.”

“Not now!” She said through gritted teeth and Neal held out his hands as he cautiously approached her. “You just left me! I went to prison because of you!”

“Em—”

“What did you do with the money, huh?”

“I gave it to August.”

“Who the hell is August?”

“Em,” Neal said softly and he reached out to gently grab hold of her arm. “Emma, there are some things I need to talk to you about, but it’s gonna have to wait. There is someone—”

“Did you know I was pregnant?” Emma asked as she pulled free of his hold. “Did you know that, Neal?”

“What?”

“I was pregnant. I had a boy.”

“We had a baby?”

“No,” she said through gritted teeth. “ _We_ didn’t have a baby. I gave him up for adoption.”

“Oh.”

Emma could see the wheels in his head turning and a whole host of emotions flashed over his face and in his eyes. He shook his head and took a small step forward, one that was met with Emma taking a small step back.

“I didn’t know. If I knew—”

“What difference would it have made, Neal?”

“I don’t know.”

“I should hate you with every fiber of my being for leaving me to take the fall for you. I _loved_ you.”

“Em—”

“I loved you,” she murmured under her breath as she fought the tears that sprang back up. “And who the hell is August?”

“It’s a long story,” Neal said gently. “But right now, we have something else to deal with. We can deal with our past later, okay?”

“Where am I?”

“If you just come with me—”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Because you used to trust me,” he said with a crooked smile, one that had once always made her heart melt. “Come on, we don’t have much time. There is someone you need to talk to. If we don’t go now, I won’t be able to take you to see her until tomorrow.”

Emma looked at him questionably, but being in the place that she was and not knowing anything, she felt like she had no other choice but to trust him in the moment. With a hesitant step forward, she followed Neal out of the room and jerked her arm away from him when he went to grab ahold of it.

“Listen, Em, I know it’s a lot to ask, but you need to play along,” Neal whispered into her ear as he grabbed ahold of her arm again. “Just trust me. Please?”

Emma gritted her teeth but said nothing as she allowed Neal to lead her down the hallway and into a large room where other patients were sitting around tables and on well-worn couches. Some were playing games with other orderlies and patients, others were just sitting there staring off into space, and some were muttering incoherently as they paced in front of a window. But there was one that stood out, someone Emma recognized, and it made her gasp as she laid her eyes on the brunette she’d only just met a week before.

“Regina,” she said under her breath as Neal led her over to the corner where Regina was sitting in an armchair. “Regina,” she said and the brunette looked right up at her. “What are you doing here?”

“I’d ask you the same thing,” she said drolly. “Have a seat, Miss Swan. It seems there is a lot we need to talk about.”

“Let me go grab a deck of cards,” Neal said. “We have to look like we’re doing something, not just talking. Less suspicious.”

Neither women said a word as Neal hurried away and Emma took a seat in the other armchair beside Regina. She shook her head as she took in the sight of the woman in front of her. Regina looked unkempt, exhausted, her hair a mess and bags under her eyes. Her nails were free of the nail polish she’d been wearing before and her face free of makeup. She looked like a completely different person than the Regina she had met in Storybrooke.

“What is going on?” Emma whispered. “Why are we here?”

“I doubt you’ll believe me if I told you,” Regina whispered back. “But we’re here because of a spell.”

“A what?”

“A spell, Miss Swan.”

“Okay,” Emma replied with a raised eyebrow. “A spell? How is that even possible?”

“How is any of this possible?” Regina asked. “Tell me, have you been here before?”

“Briefly.”

“How many times?”

“I don’t know, a couple,” Emma shrugged. “I thought it was just, you know, a nightmare.”

“It _is_ a nightmare, and unfortunately for both of us, it is very real and I have a feeling that this time we’re not slipping out of here as we have before.”

“You’ve been here before?”

“Yes, but after the last time, I haven’t been back.”

“That would explain why Henry said you were acting weird,” Emma said and Regina’s whole demeanor changed at the mention of Henry. “We’re in two places at once, aren’t we?”

“It appears so,” Regina frowned. “It’s complicated and it isn’t.”

“I’d say being here because of a spell is not only complicated but impossible, Regina. Magic doesn’t exist.”

“I thought the same, but it appears that I was wrong,” she muttered and Neal chose that moment to come back, pulling up a hard wooden chair and a small table. “Neal is quite aware of what is happening here as well. His account of things proved that this wasn’t just a figment of my imagination.”

Neal shuffled the deck of cards he brought over and looked back around the room before turning to face them both. Emma wasn’t sure what the hell was going on or how Regina knew Neal, much less trusted him. As Neal began to deal the cards out over the table, Regina reached out to place a hand on top of hers.

“I know this is a lot to take in, Emma, but I need you to listen very carefully with an open mind.”

“Okay,” she nodded as she looked down at Regina’s hand on top of hers and tried to ignore the buzzing warmth she felt radiating off of the other woman. “Okay. I’m listening.”

Emma stayed silent as Regina and Neal both took turns speaking, both careful not to draw any attention to their little corner in the room. Regina began with the story of her life before Henry, before Storybrooke. It was eerily too much like the story in Henry’s book and Emma wasn’t sure whether to believe it or not, but still she listened. When Neal began his story, she felt like she had walked into another alternate universe, and found it to be quite unbelievable until Regina’s story began to match up with his.

She sat in an almost empty trance, jumping a little each time Regina would reach out to touch her hand to get her attention again. By the time they both started talking about the spell, what they knew and what they didn’t know, Emma felt a lurch in her stomach as she listened to the details.

Time didn’t move forward there, it just repeated itself day in and day out. Regina explained how it was very much like the curse she’d cast that brought her and everyone else to Storybrooke so many years ago, but how different it was as well. When Neal said he had been there for quite some time and had lost track of just how many days and months he had been there, she felt a feeling of lost hope and it only increased when he told her there was no way out.

With a lot of information to take in, Emma sat back in the armchair and tried to soak it all in. She wasn’t even sure what to think, what to believe, but everything they had said had made sense in the strangest way. Despite not believing in magic, she had seen a bit of it, enough of it with that woman to know that it was more real than she ever imagined it to be.

“Emma?” Neal asked after a few moments of silence passed between the three of them. “What are you thinking?”

“How can any of this be real?” Emma whispered. “How is any of this possible?” She asked and she shook her head. “Before Henry came to get me, I never believed in magic. I _still_ don’t, but after what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, I feel…conflicted, like everything in my life up until now has been a lie.”

Regina frowned and Neal just leaned forward, reaching out as if he was going to grab her hand, but he hesitated. Emma shook her head again and looked over at Regina for a moment before looking back at Neal.

“If magic is real, if _this_ is real, there has to be a way to break the spell, right?”

“Yes,” Regina answered first. “There is always a way to break any spell, any curse, but it all comes down to one defining factor.”

“Finding the caster,” Neal finished for her. “We need to find out who is behind the spell.”

“But it will be next to impossible,” Regina said with a heavy sigh. “I am without magic here, just as I was without magic in Storybrooke. But,” she paused as she wet her lips. “I can feel the magic here from the spell, it’s faint but I can feel it. When time started over again, that was when it was the strongest, but even then I couldn’t tell who had cast it, though it felt oddly familiar.”

“You did this to us,” Emma accused through gritted teeth. “You did this to us, didn’t you, Regina? We are here because of—”

“No,” she snapped angrily. “I did not do this. If you haven’t noticed, Miss Swan, I am trapped here just as much as you are.”

“Em,” Neal said and this time when he reached out he took her hand in his gently. “I know this is all still hard to believe, but if we work together, maybe we can get out of here. What do you say?”

“I think…I think I may have some information that will help?”

“Now you choose to tell us that?” Regina asked, clearly annoyed. “Do tell, Miss Swan.”

“Emma,” she corrected, feeling Regina’s irritation catching on.

“Ladies—”

“There was a woman,” Emma said, ignoring Neal and ignoring the glare that Regina was giving her. “When I got back to Boston, a woman came to the door to tell me that a family friend of mine was in the hospital dying. She claimed to be her cousin and how was I supposed to know otherwise? While I was in the hospital, Miss Carla told me of a book she had in her possession, a book I was to find before anyone else did.”

“What kind of book was it, Em?”

“A storybook, kind of,” she shrugged. “It looked like Henry’s book only what was inside was drastically different.”

“What was it called?” Regina asked.

“Happy Ever After’s and Your Happy Ending.”

Regina gasped and all the color drained from her face in an instant and Neal looked perplexed as he gave Emma’s hand a gentle squeeze and let go.

“There was a letter inside the book too, addressed to me, but written twenty-eight years ago. It wasn’t finished,” Emma continued. “It ended abruptly and then I got a phone call from a man, someone I’ve never met or heard from before that told me to get out of the apartment. Just as I was leaving, that woman showed up,” she said and she paused for a moment, looking around the room to make sure that nobody was paying any attention to them. “The door flew open and it shut without her even touching it and then, then she started to change. She wasn’t the woman I knew her as, but someone else. I don’t know what happened after that, but I ended up in a room, restrained to a bed, a place much like this only darker, damper. She—”

“Did she tell you who she was?” Regina asked and Emma just looked at her with wide eyes. “Well? Did she?”

“She—she told me she was your mother,” Emma whispered and Regina gasped as her hands trembled in her lap. “She said she was your mother and that her name is Cora.”

“No,” Regina whimpered. “No. No, that is not possible. My mother is—she’s not—she’s trapped in a world she cannot escape from. It is not possible.”

“What happened, Em?” Neal asked and Emma shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

“I ended up here,” she said. “I—I don’t know how, but I ended up here. I don’t know where Riley is or what happened to her—”

“Who is Riley?”

“My—”

“Her daughter,” Regina interrupted. “Gods, if that woman was my mother, you have more to worry about than just being trapped here, Miss Swan.”

“Do you think she’d do something to Riley?” Emma asked as fresh tears sprang to her eyes.

“I don’t know,” Regina replied. “If she truly is my mother, there is no telling just what she is capable of. We need to find a way to break this spell. Now.”

[X]

It was raining and dark when Beth pulled up into the lot and into her usual spot at the station. She had just come back from seeing Henry and she had taken him to her and Mary Margaret’s place after seeing the state that Regina was currently in.

There were no words to describe the state Regina was in and it had left Beth baffled as she had never seen the woman like that before, not even when the episodes had started and Henry had first called her over. But the state that Regina was in when she checked in on Henry late in the afternoon had downright terrified her.

Henry had called her and when she arrived at the house, she found him hiding in his room and he refused to leave unless she would take him somewhere safe. She found Regina in the kitchen standing at the stove and holding a wooden spoon over an empty pot while the burner was on. She tried to get Regina’s attention to no avail and when she touched her, Regina looked at her and her eyes rolled back into her head before she collapsed to the floor. Beth had been quick to catch her before she hit her head and she called for an ambulance as she carried Regina to the den to put her on the couch.

She had no idea what was wrong with her, but there was something serious going on. Even the EMT’s that showed up at the mansion three minutes after she made the call were baffled. Her vital signs were normal, but she was unresponsive. Unconscious.

Beth took Henry to Mary Margaret after she called to explain the situation as best as she could, and good ol’ Mary Margaret had agreed to take him in and watch him for as long as she needed without question. Once she made sure Henry was settled in, she headed to the station, needing to take her mind off of everything and get some of her paperwork done.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as she turned off the engine and got out of the cruiser, about to make a quick run for the back door when she heard a soft whimpering cry coming from behind the dumpster. Pulling the hood up on her jacket, she rushed over to the dumpster and pulled out her flashlight. She gasped in surprise as the light landed on Riley, huddled up behind the dumpster and soaking wet with tears streaming down her red cheeks.

“Riley?”

“Mommy?”

“No, kiddo, it’s Beth,” she said as she knelt down in front of her. “What are you doing here?”

“Where is my mommy?”

“I don’t know,” Beth frowned and she pocketed her flashlight before she picked Riley up and hurried into the station. “What are you doing out there, Riley? It’s cold and raining.”

“And dark,” Riley shivered. “I want my mommy.”

Beth carried her over to her desk and sat her down in the chair before she retrieved a heavy wool blanket from the top of the cabinet. She wrapped Riley up and tried to warm the toddler up as she held her tightly and rubbed her back and arms. She could feel Riley shivering and her body convulsing as she cried in her arms. Beth looked around the station but she knew there weren’t any dry and warm clothes that would fit a child as small as Riley on hand.

“Riley,” she tried softly as she pushed back Riley cold, wet hair away from her eyes and forehead. “I need you to tell me how you got out there, okay?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Please, kiddo,” Beth whispered. “Try? For me?”

“A lady,” Riley whimpered. “Scary lady came and took Mommy.”

“A lady came and took your mom?” Beth asked and Riley nodded, the tears stopping for the moment. “What happened to you? Did she take you too?”

“No,” Riley frowned. “A man did.”

“A man? Was it someone you know?”

“No.”

“Then what happened, Riley?”

“I don’t know. I want my mommy. Where is my mommy?”

“We’ll find her, Riley, I promise,” Beth whispered. “Come on, let me take you home and we’ll get you into something warm okay?”

“Home to my mommy?”

“My home, you’ve been there before, remember?”

“Yeah.”

“And Henry is there.”

“He is?” Riley asked with wide eyes. “I go see Henry?”

“Yeah,” Beth smiled. “And Mary Margaret too.”

“Yeah?”

Beth smiled again and picked Riley up. She headed back out to the cruiser and put Riley into the back before she got into the driver’s seat and pulled out her cell. She dialed Graham’s number and turned on the car, blasting the heat while she waited for him to pick up.

“Hello?”

“Graham, it’s me,” Beth said and she glanced back at Riley in the rearview mirror. “Can you meet me at the loft?”

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll try and explain what I can when you get there,” she said in a rush. “Just meet me there, please?”

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”


	19. Chapter 19

Emma sat in the chair alone and watched Regina being led out by Neal and one of the doctors. A few other patients were being led out as well as it was visiting hours and family had begun to show up. Only a handful of patients remained after almost ten minutes and Emma was almost too afraid to move from the chair, afraid if she did she’d be taken back to that room and locked away.

The conversation with Regina and Neal was still replaying over and over in her mind, but there was a slight fog lingering and she couldn’t seem to keep her thoughts straight.

But she tried. She tried until it made her head hurt and she gasped as she grabbed her head with both hands to make the pounding pain stop. At the front of all those rushing thoughts in her mind, all she could think about was Riley and what Regina had said about her mother.

“Em?”

She looked up and dropped her hands from her head to look up at Neal. She just shook her head as her bottom lip trembled and she tried to keep the tears from falling.

“Hey, do you want to talk?”

“Where is Regina?”

“Visiting with her parents.”

“Her mother is here?” Emma looked at him in confusion.

“At least a version of her is here,” Neal said with a slight shrug and he sat down in the chair Regina had been sitting in before. “I have a little bit of time, so if you want to talk, about anything—”

“I’m trying to make sense of all of this,” Emma said and she shook her head as she balled her fists in her lap. “This doesn’t make _sense_ , Neal. How can any of this be real?”

He reached out and placed a warm, heavy hand on her shoulder and frowned. “I know it’s hard, Em,” he said softly. “But at least you’re not alone here, right? You have me.”

“And Regina.”

“How do you know her anyway? When you two were talking—”

“She adopted my son.”

“Our son?”

Emma shook her head. “He is not _ours_ , Neal. He never was.”

“I’m sorry,” he frowned deeply and let go of her shoulder. For a moment she was sure she saw tears forming in his eyes, but they were tears he hid easily. “I’m sorry, Em.”

“For what?”

“For leaving you like that,” he whispered. “I—I didn’t have a choice. August told me it needed to be done, that I needed to leave, to let you go, to—”

“Who the fuck is August?”

“Someone from the Enchanted Forest,” Neal replied and he looked around the room before leaning in a little closer to her. “Before you were sent to this world, Em, he went first. He was there with you when you were found.”

“That was never mentioned in the article I found.”

“I know. He—”

“How the hell do you know that? I never told you the whole story when we knew each other before.”

“Em, after I left you, I learned a lot of things and I needed time to figure everything out. I couldn’t mess with fate, not when you were destined to be someone important, someone that could break a very powerful dark curse. I believed him when he said he was going to look out for you because he always did, I believed him and I left. I gave him the keys to the Bug and the money I got from the watches I fenced and I—”

“You gave him the money?” Emma blinked in confusion and then she felt anger bubbling and rising from deep inside. “The only thing I got was the keys to the Bug, no money.”

“He didn’t—”

“No. If he’d given me that money, I don’t think I would’ve—”

“Would’ve what?”

Emma _knew_ she wouldn’t have given Henry up. With that money she would’ve felt secure enough to keep him, to raise him as her own, to start a new life for the two of them once she was out of prison. She clenched her jaw as she stared at Neal and it was only when his face softened that she started to see the similarities between Henry and his father.

Emma ran her hands over her thighs and shook her head. It was dangerous for her to start thinking of all the what-ifs because that is not what had happened and that was not how her life ended up. She knew if she had kept Henry, there was a high chance that she would’ve never ended up with Riley, and she didn’t want to think for a second of a life without her daughter in it.

She turned to Neal with a frown. There were a lot of things she wanted to say to him, a lot of questions she had that she wasn’t so sure she was ready to hear the answers to, but none of those words came out.

“Why do they call you Charles?” She asked instead. “That’s not your name.”

“It is here,” he shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure out the whole backstory here, but it’s hard when every day repeats itself and for the longest time I was the only one that was aware of that.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Neal chuckled softly. “Yeah, I mean, look at this place and the people here. I can’t figure out who is trapped here like we are and who is just a part of the spell. Regina was here since the beginning, but she never spoke, not until a few days ago and that’s when I knew something had changed. And then you? You were never here and then suddenly you were and it was like you’d always been here but I knew you weren’t.”

“Why is it so confusing?” Emma asked and she couldn’t help but laugh. “It is and it isn’t.”

“I know,” he replied and he stood up as another orderly approached them. “Andrew,” he said with a nod.

“Charlie, they need you downstairs in visitation.”

“Is there something going on? Visitation isn’t over for—”

“Just relaying Dr. Fuller’s orders,” the man said and he peered down at Emma, emotionless. “You’re needed, Charlie.”

“Sorry, Em,” Neal frowned. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“No need,” the man said. “I’ll make sure she returns to her room shortly.”

Emma watched Neal walk out of the room and she looked up at the large man that was standing in front of her. There was just something about him that made her feel uneasy and it wasn’t his size, but the lifeless look in his eyes. She sank into the chair as far as she could and closed her eyes, willing herself to wake up from the nightmare she was trapped in, but she was filled with utter disappointment when she opened her eyes a moment later and found she was still there.

[X]

Regina sat across from her parents just as she had the day before, but she said nothing as her father spoke softly of the horses they kept at their farm and she watched her mother, looking for any signs that this woman was truly her mother or just a copy of her, placed there in the spell to fool her.

If her mother truly knew her, she’d know that Regina wasn’t easily fooled, but then again she didn’t know her mother as well as she liked to believe and whatever plan her mother had in place with this spell, she was a long way from figuring it out.

“Regina?” Her father asked gently. “Are you listening, dear?”

“She’s clearly not, Henry,” Cora said sharply. “Regina?”

“What?” Regina asked, her voice rough and raspy. “I am listening, Mother.”

“Then please acknowledge your father when he asks you a question, dear.”

“What was the question, Daddy?” She asked softly.

“I asked if you would like to see pictures of Rocinante the next time we come to see you? He may be old, but he’s still very strong.”

Regina’s heart sank at the mention of her beloved horse. It wasn’t possible that he was still alive, not even in a world that existed only because of a spell. No magic could bring the dead back to life. Not ever.

“Rocinante?” Regina whispered. “He’s—”

“Getting on in his years,” her father replied. “But still strong, as I said. Would you like pictures next time, dear?”

There wouldn’t be a next time, there would only be that very day over and over again, but Regina just nodded and was rewarded by a sweet smile from her father, a smile she had missed for so very long. He reached out to pat her hand gently and she didn’t miss the look in her mother’s eyes when he did so.

Regina was trying to remember how the visit went the day before, what made her lash out even though she knew she didn’t physically do anything. She was trying hard not to have a repeat, but there was only so much that she was in control of while trapped in that spell.

She drummed her fingers on the table while her parents spoke back and forth of plans to come see her next month and how they’d bring her a piece of her favorite apple pie if she’d like, amongst other things like books and small comfort items. As surreal as it had been the day before to see her parents, her father mostly, it didn’t feel that way this time, and she could not wait for that visit to end because she knew none of it was really real.

Her mother was behind the spell and the reasoning behind what unfolded each day was still a mystery but knowing her mother, it was meant to drive her insane, little by little.

A buzzer sounded and her parents rose from their seats across the table. After a reluctant hug with her mother, Regina reveled in the hug with her father and almost didn’t want to let go.

_It’s not really Daddy_ , she reminded herself as she buried her face into his neck and inhaled deeply. Even though it wasn’t really her father, he still smelled the same and she felt a comforting warmth through her whole body she had missed for so very long.

Once they were gone and other visitors left, the orderlies started to file into the visitation room one by one. Regina spotted Neal and she sat where she was, waiting, not willing to be locked away in her room because of an incident. She needed to play things smart if she ever wanted to get the hell out of there. It went without saying that if she kept from slipping that she’d have a little more freedom that what she was already allowed and she wasn’t going to waste a day if she could help it.

She needed to get back home to her son.

Regina didn’t say a word to Neal as he led her back up to the common room with the other patients. She was beginning to think back to earlier in the week when Henry first returned with Emma Swan and the events that had followed.

Her heart dropped when she remembered how she was so willing and ready to use that potion to alter the memories of her son, how she was so conflicted about it at the same time, and yet she had been so desperate to keep things the way they were or at the very least, bring them back to the way they had been months ago.

She wondered now what would’ve happened if she had used that potion. Would she be where she was now? Would life have just gone on as it had before Henry had brought his birth mother home?

“Are you okay?” Neal asked as he cupped her elbow gently. “Regina?”

“Fine,” she snapped. “How much longer are we in here for?”

“Just until lunch and group therapy though you don’t normally stay this long.”

“Why not?”

“For as long as I’ve been here, you’ve never made it through an entire visitation,” Neal whispered. “How did you do that?”

She didn’t answer him and pulled away. She looked around the room and was surprised to find Emma still in the same chair as she’d been when she left, but there was something off about her. Emma looked terrified as she sat in the chair with her knees to her chest and her eyes closed tight. Regina didn’t know her, but she felt as if she did. She was identical to Beth, but only in looks, she had to remind herself as she approached the blonde and took a seat in the chair next to her. She was _not_ Beth. Regina didn’t even know her.

But she felt drawn to her in ways she just couldn’t explain or understand. She’d felt that very same pull back in Storybrooke, but here it was different. Stronger.

“Emma?” Regina whispered as to not startle her. “Emma, are you all right?” She asked and there was no response. “Miss Swan?”

“Why do you call me that?” Emma muttered.

“It is your name, isn’t it?”

“No,” Emma said as she lifted her eyes and blinked open her eyes. “My name is Emma.”

“I know that, Miss—”

“Cut it out with the Miss Swan crap,” Emma snapped. “Just stop, Regina. We’re way past that, don’t you think?”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, for starters, we’re stuck in this place because of a damn spell and I still don’t know whether to believe it or not. We may not know each other that well yet, Regina, but I have a feeling we will. I don’t think we have a choice.”

“And why is that?”

“Because…” Emma faltered. “Because we need to get out of here, don’t we?”

“Yes, that goes without saying.”

“And we’re going to have to work together, aren’t we?” Emma asked and Regina just stared at her intently. “I mean, we aren’t going to get out of here if we don’t, right?”

“I’m not certain Miss—Emma,” Regina corrected herself quickly and she shook her head. “I still don’t understand this spell completely. I need some time.”

“How much time?”

“If I knew, I would tell you,” Regina said harshly under her breath and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. “I need time and we have plenty of that here,” she said after a moment and she looked around the room with a frown. “Unfortunately, I don’t think we’re going to get very far.”

“Why not?”

“The time loop,” Regina said. “We may not lose our memories as the others here, but there’s no guarantee that it’ll stay that way.”

“Is it just us?” Emma asked. “Us and Neal who remember?”

“It appears that way.”

Regina could see how conflicted Emma was about everything. She couldn’t imagine what it was like to be in Emma’s shoes at the moment since she had always believed in magic ever since she was a young child and witnessed her mother using magic on a regular basis. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for someone to bear witness to something they only believed to be fiction.

Emma was supposed to be the Savior and the Savior was supposed to believe in magic in order to break the curse. At least that was how it was foretold, but Emma wasn’t close to being the Savior she was destined to be and being stuck in this spell was only holding her back from fulfilling her destiny.

Regina had a feeling that there was a lot more to Emma’s destiny than either of them knew. She had that feeling because there was an undeniable connection between them, though it was faint, it was most certainly there and Regina knew, she just _knew_ if she continued to ignore it, they would never break free of this spell.

“What are you thinking?” Emma asked, breaking Regina out of her thoughts. “Regina?”

“I’m thinking we need to find out how to get out of here.”

“Didn’t you hear what Neal said before? We can’t leave!”

“Maybe he can’t,” Regina mused. “But there is always a loophole in every spell, a crack if you wish to call it. There is just a matter of finding this crack.”

“How do we find a crack?” Emma asked in confusion. “What would it even look like?”

“I imagine you would be able to feel it, not see it,” Regina said and she cleared her throat. “Though it will be quite impossible to do so when neither of us has magic here.”

“What does it feel like?”

“I—it’s hard to explain,” Regina said and she wet her lips as Emma stared at her with an intensity that had her heart racing in an instant. “It is just a feeling, an indescribable feeling. Sometimes there are smells associated with certain people of magic and the spells that they cast, other times it is just…”

“A feeling,” Emma finished. “But what does it feel like?”

_Like falling in love for the first time, like that first snowfall, like the moment you hold your son for the very first time. Like the first time you take a life and the thrill that fills you afterward…_

A buzzer sounded and Regina groaned as more orderlies filed into the common room to announce lunch was about to be served. Emma looked at her in an almost desperation for the answer, but Regina wasn’t sure how to answer her question at all. Magic felt like many things, but she also knew it felt very different for everyone. It could be wonderful feelings or terrible ones of dread.

They filed out of the common room with the rest of the patients and orderlies without another word. Regina’s mind was going a mile a minute, her thoughts jumbling together and making absolute zero sense with every step closer they got to the overcrowded cafeteria. There were doctors milling about, watching the patients as they lined up robotically to get a tray of food. Some patients had to be seated while the orderlies lined up for them and Regina couldn’t help but watch the people all around her.

Nobody else there was remotely familiar aside from Emma Swan. She couldn’t pinpoint any of the people there from either her time in the Enchanted Forest or in Storybrooke. That was one thing that was baffling to her as to why there were so many unknown people trapped there in that very same spell but knowing her mother, these people could have once crossed her mother’s path and this was her way of torturing them for a very long period of time.

Her stomach churned and she suddenly felt sick as she moved with the slow-moving line to the counter where trays of bland looking food were being handed out. A warm hand on her shoulder made her turn as the nauseated feeling passed and a deep buzz that felt comforting rippled through her body.

“Are you okay?” Emma whispered as Regina turned to look back at her. “Regina?”

“I’m fine.”

“I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to eat anything right now,” she whispered and Regina nodded in agreement. “What do you think will happen if we don’t eat?”

“Do you wish to find out?”

“No.”

Regina glanced at the hand still on her shoulder and Emma pulled back as if she had suddenly been scalded when the buzz between them began to grow stronger. Regina turned to face forward, but that buzz continued to run through her body, fading as her heart rate went from racing to normal after a few deep breaths.

They made it to the front of the line, retrieved their trays and Regina headed for an empty table by a window, fully aware that Emma was following close behind. She couldn’t blame her for wanting to be near someone familiar, even if they were still perfect strangers. Regina sat down with a heavy sigh and her vision began to swim, the room spinning around her as her vision faded to black.

Flashes of scenes began to appear, scenes of her and Henry laughing together, only Henry was older and taller than her. There were scenes of her and a woman with blonde hair, snapshots of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, of laughter, of walks on a beach, of car rides with music blasting and the blonde singing along, but never did she see her face until the last one that faded too quickly when the woman turned to look at her and mouthed “I love you”.

It was Emma, she was certain of it. As her vision cleared and the sounds in the cafeteria returned almost too loudly all at once, she stared at the woman in front of her huddled over her tray and nibbling on a piece of burnt toast.

_What the hell just happened?_ Regina looked anxiously around the room, but nobody seemed to notice that she’d just gone through something unexplainable like she was seeing memories of a version of her life that just did not exist. Convincing herself it was only a part of the spell, she looked down at her tray of bland, overcooked food and frowned.

Everything was just becoming more and more complicated. How the hell was she going to figure out how to break the spell if she couldn’t keep a clear head? How was she supposed to _focus_ when all she could feel was Emma Swan? She could already feel herself losing more and more control and she clutched at the table, startling Emma and a few other patients that sat nearby.

“Regina?” Emma said worriedly. “Regina?”

She clutched the table tighter as half a dozen orderlies quickly made their way towards her. She shook her head, feeling the last of her control slipping away as her vision became clouded with rage.

[X]

Emma watched in fear as she was pulled away from the table, watching Regina lash out at the orderlies that tried to grab ahold of her. Neal was right in the middle and he managed to grab onto Regina, holding her from behind as he held her hands tightly to her chest with his own.

Emma had no idea what was happening or why Regina had suddenly lashed out, but as terrified as she was watching the brunette struggle and scream, she was also curious. What had triggered her? Was it something that one of them had said? Was it something that she’d been thinking about that suddenly turned the tables around completely?

Emma grunted as the large orderly she’d met before forced her away from the commotion. She tried to pull free of his strong hold and cried out when she felt the sharp pinch of a needle being jabbed into her shoulder.

“No,” she mumbled as her body felt heavy. “No…”

Emma could barely keep her eyes open, but she was just barely conscious enough to realize she was being carried away. Every time she blinked open her eyes, she was somewhere else, and then she felt the straps on her wrists and ankles and another jab of a needle only this time it was just below the crease of her left elbow and directly into her vein.

When Emma opened her eyes, she was no longer in that room or any place that was familiar to her, but the bed she was in was soft and warm. And she wasn’t alone.

Warm sunlight streamed in through the windows, basking the room in its soft light. She didn’t feel foggy headed but well rested. She stretched out slowly and bit back a laugh when she ran her hands over her head and found her hair to be an absolute mess. Her heart started racing when she felt the other person in bed with her move and she was almost too afraid to look over at who it was.

It was only a dream. It _had_ to be. It was the only logical explanation she could think of in that moment that made any sense. Even knowing none of it was real, she was still almost too afraid to look and see just who was lying in bed beside her.

Emma closed her eyes as she turned her head to the left and then she cracked one eye open to peek at her bedmate, her heart racing even quicker when she saw the short black hair and the smooth expanse and curve of a woman’s bare back and shoulder. Emma blinked open her eyes in surprise—not because it was a woman, but because dream or not, that feeling of _home_ suddenly overtook her completely, and she couldn’t ignore it. She didn’t _want_ to ignore it.

That very feeling was one she’d been chasing her whole damn life and of course, of _course_ it had to come to her in some weird, trippy dream-like world while she was trapped in a spell she still wasn’t sure that she believed in.

“It is too early,” the woman next to her spoke in a raspy, husky voice that sent the good kind of chills down Emma’s spine. “Go back to sleep, darling.”

Emma inhaled sharply. That voice. She knew that voice, but her mind was spinning and she was still trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. But she knew that voice, maybe not that well, but she _knew_ it.

“Re—” Emma stopped short when the door across the room flung open and a girl about ten came in. Despite the age difference and the not so subtle changes, Emma knew immediate who that girl was as soon as she saw her smile. “Riley?”

“Morning, Mommy!” She said happily as she walked to the foot of the bed and climbed up. “Is Mama awake too?”

“Mama is _not_ awake,” came the muttered, muffled reply.

Riley laughed and crawled up to lay between Emma and the woman and she snuggled into Emma. “Did you forget what today is, Mommy?”

“No, baby girl,” Emma lied and she reached out to run her fingers through Riley’s still soft curls. “Well? What is today?”

“You forgot!”

“I did not!”

“Henry!” Riley called out and Emma froze. “Henry, you were right! She _did_ forget!”

Emma’s eyes went wide as she watched a much taller and lankier looking Henry appear in the open doorway. He was much older too, about sixteen Emma guessed, give or take a year. She just stared at him as he looked into the room and shook his head.

“Maybe we should just let them sleep, Riles?” His voice was deeper too. “Come on, we can finish breakfast together. What do you say?”

“Okay.”

“Ma?” Henry asked as he waited for Riley to get off of the bed. Emma blinked as she sat up slowly. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“Your anniversary. It’s been five years.”

“Five years?”

“Since you and Mom first got together,” Henry said as he raised an eyebrow and placed a long arm around Riley’s shoulders as she met him in the doorway. “How could you forget?”

“Because your mother is a tad scatterbrained, dear,” Regina said as she rolled over and lifted her head to look over at the doorway. “Good morning,” she said with a stifled yawn. “Did someone say something about breakfast?”

“Yeah, we’re—”

“Please don’t burn down my kitchen.”

Henry laughed. “Ma is the one who keep breaking the toaster, not me, Mom.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Regina chuckled and she turned to Emma with a soft and warm smile. “However do you keep managing to break the toaster? Did you just break the one I picked up last week?”

“I—”

“Or are you taking the blame for Riley again?”

Emma opened and closed her mouth as Riley began to laugh in the doorway while Henry led her away and shut the door behind them. Emma was speechless and she was waiting for the moment when she woke up from this bizarre dream that didn’t make any sense what so ever.

“I swear,” Regina said with a shake of her head, the smile not fading as she reached up to cup Emma’s cheek. “It feels like I have three children in the house sometimes.”

Emma stayed still as Regina leaned in to place a soft lingering kiss on her lips. Emma sank into the comforting warmth that came with the kiss and that feeling of home became stronger. She didn’t pull away, she felt like she couldn’t, and instead she returned the kiss just as softly yet surely. She pulled back after a moment and looked into Regina’s eyes. She shook her head at the look she saw, a look filled with nothing but love.

_This isn’t real_ , she thought as Regina lovingly stroked her cheek before laying her head back down on the pillow. _This isn’t real_.

“Did you really forget?”

“Huh?”

“Our anniversary?” Regina asked, her lips curling into a slight frown. “Emma?”

“I—”

“Five years,” Regina stated plainly. “Five years we’ve been together and you’ve forgotten?”

“No, I—”

“Emma,” she sighed with a slight roll of her eyes. “Really?”

Emma frowned, at loss for words. _It’s just a dream. None of this is real_. “I’m sorry?”

“I’m sure you are,” she said but there was not even a hint of malice in her voice despite her expression. “But there is one thing I do know, Emma,” Regina drawled. “I know that you truly didn’t forget because I just so happened to accidentally stumble upon the gift in the closet you didn’t happen to hide very well yesterday.”

“Oh.”

Emma felt a pull and she couldn’t fight the feeling since a big part of her still wanted to wake up. She gave into that pulling feeling and suddenly she was out of her own body, watching herself and Regina cuddling in bed as the early morning sunlight continued to flood in through the windows.

As unreal as it all seemed, Riley had felt so real and it was Riley that made her feel as if it was all just more than a dream. Yet, it wasn’t possible. None of it was possible. Her and Regina? Together? In love? She wanted to laugh because that seemed more unlikely than the fact they were trapped in a world together they couldn’t escape from because of a spell.

She didn’t want to watch the scene that was unfolding, but she was mesmerized as she watched herself kiss Regina passionately before they disappeared under the covers giggling. Emma slipped out of the room, not wanting to see or hear anymore, and she found herself in an unfamiliar house though there were subtle signs that it was her home too. Halfway down the hallway, she stopped at a collage of framed pictures on the wall, but every time she tried to focus on just one, the picture wobbled and started to turn fuzzy and fade.

Disoriented and confused, Emma continued until she reached the top of the curved staircase. As she peered down, she recognized it as Regina and Henry’s house in Storybrooke. She headed down the stairs, though still disoriented and confused, her curiosity was getting to her and it didn’t seem as if she were about to wake up from that dream anytime soon.

The sound of laughter drew her to the kitchen and she stayed hidden, watching Riley and Henry dance around the kitchen together while the smell of freshly cooked bacon and eggs filled the air. They were having the time of their life it looked like and the scene filled her heart completely. She knew how much Riley adored Henry right from the start and it showed, more than ever, as Henry scooped her up into his arms and spun her around quickly.

“Did Mommy really forget, Henry?” Riley asked once he put her back down on the floor. “Did she?”

“No, Ma didn’t forget, are you kidding?” Henry laughed. “She would _never_ forget. Do you know what Mom would do to her if she actually forgot?”

“Fireball her ass to hell and back?” Riley asked seriously and Henry laughed harder.

“Don’t let Moms hear you talk like that, Riles.”

“But Mommy says it all the time!”

“You’re old enough to know not to repeat anything Ma says.”

“I’m ten!” Riley pouted. “Are you going to tell?”

“No,” Henry said with a small shake of his head. “I won’t tell.”

Emma backed away from the kitchen doorway with a weird feeling that made her stomach drop. It was a feeling that was indescribable and it made her just want to run, run from everything she’d just seen and heard. Emma backed into a wall and gasped as a picture in a silver frame fell from the wall and clattered loudly on the marble tiled floor.

_Run_ , her mind screamed, yet she bent down to pick up the silver framed picture. Her hands were shaking as she turned it over and she gasped when she saw her and Regina smiling for the camera, Regina in a wedding dress and she in a classy white tuxedo, the tie was undone and the sleeves rolled up.

It wasn’t the picture itself that shocked her; it was how _happy_ she and Regina both looked. It was like they were two very different people—and they were as this was a life that had obviously hadn’t happened yet and a life that was just a figment of her imagination. But even knowing it wasn’t _real_ it didn’t help the feeling that it felt so true.

The picture fell from Emma’s hands when she heard giggling coming from upstairs and the unmistakable sounds of pleasure that followed the laughter. She backed away from the wall and stumbled into the middle of the foyer as the sounds from upstairs were mixed with the sounds of laughter coming from the kitchen from both of her children.

Everything around her began to spin and she reached out to grasp onto something, anything, but as it spun quicker and quicker, everything began to fade. Her heart began to race faster and faster and she grasped at her chest as everything faded to black and the only thing she could sense was the sounds she could hear.

It was so instantaneous to go from inside the mansion to the small room that she had woken up in before. It made her stomach lurch and she couldn’t move, not because she was restrained, but because her body felt heavy. Foreign. She could almost _feel_ the drugs that had been pumped into her still working and it only made everything feel a thousand times worse.

A very small part of her felt relieved to have seen Riley even though she knew it wasn’t real. Her head started pounding and she found the strength to lift her hands to grasp at it in a desperate attempt to stop the pain that was rushing through.

As the heaviness in her body started to lift, she started to remember everything that had happened after she had blacked out. That dream had felt too real, much like it had felt the first time she ended up there in that place. She tried to sit up in the hard, small bed as the thoughts of what if it wasn’t just a dream started rolling around in her mind. What if it wasn’t a strange dream but truly a glimpse into the future, or _a_ future?

It was ridiculous on so many counts. She didn’t even _know_ Regina and sure, the woman was insanely attractive to the point where if the situation were any different, Emma would jump at the chance to be with her, but that wasn’t happening. She didn’t know Regina and yet she was having dreams where they’re together, in love, and their children are growing up together. She didn’t even really know Henry either, but that dream had made her feel so many things she had been oblivious to knowing she had wanted for a very long time.

A family. Not just her and Riley, but an actual family of her own.

It was a far stretch for more reasons than Emma could even think of in that moment. That feeling of home and of family was something she had longed for all her life. Finding that had always been impossible and even more so now that she was stuck there in some kind of a spell that had taken her from the life she already had.

For once in her life, she wished for a break. She wished that for once she had some semblance of control to control her fate.

And little did she know that wish would come true. Eventually.


	20. Chapter 20

Beth watched as Graham sat on the floor with Riley, the two of them taking turns with the large piece puzzle that Mary Margaret had brought out to keep Riley preoccupied. Beth was still struggling to figure out what the hell was going on and Henry stood by the bathroom door with a frown on his face as he watched Beth pace in the kitchen. Beth had to give the kid some credit though. He knew a lot more than anyone else did at that point even if it wasn’t the answers Beth was looking for.

“Where is Emma?” Henry asked for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour. “Beth?”

“I don’t know, Hen,” she sighed heavily. “I really don’t know.”

“Don’t you think we should be out there looking for her?”

“I don’t know where to start. Riley said they were at someone’s house in Boston when Emma was taken.”

“By an old lady?” Henry asked with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t believe that, Beth. Emma is like you, she’s strong. No dumb old lady would be able to take her down. Unless…”

“There was someone else that Riley didn’t see,” Beth finished and she sighed again as she looked over at Riley playing with Graham on the floor. “Boston is a long ways, Hen, and Riley,” she paused and frowned deeply. “Riley doesn’t remember too much.”

“Maybe someone else does?” Henry asked. “Maybe someone saw them? Riley said it was Miss Carla’s house, right?” Upon her nod, he grinned. “I know where she lives. I ended up there first when I went to Boston last week to look for Emma. We can go there and we can—”

“ _We’re_ not going to Boston, Henry.”

“But—”

“No,” Beth said and she stared long and hard at him. “You’re staying here, Henry. I don’t even know where to go after checking the last place she was. I—I think I should make some phone calls.”

“Phone calls?” Mary Margaret asked as she joined them in the kitchen. “Who are you going to call, Beth?”

“People, I don’t know,” she shrugged. “People who know Emma, I guess. It’s somewhere to start, right? Henry has an address, so I’ll start there and see what I can find out.”

“And address for whom?”

“A really nice lady,” Henry answered. “Miss Carla. I met her when I went to find Emma in Boston. She’s like family for Emma and Riley,” he said and he suddenly frowned. “Riley said she was in the hospital. Do you think you can find out if she’s okay?”

“Yeah, I—”

“Who is she?” Mary Margaret asked and Henry just shrugged.

“She said she watches Riley when Emma is working,” Henry replied and he shrugged again. “She was really nice when I saw her. She even made me a ham sandwich with the best fresh bread I ever had in my life!”

Beth chuckled and reached out to ruffle Henry’s hair. “The best ham sandwich, huh?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Don’t let your mom hear that, okay?” Beth laughed and Henry only rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Hen. Your mom—”

“She’s not really my mom, Beth.”

“But she is,” Beth said and she placed her hands on his shoulders and gave him a look that meant she was being absolutely deadly serious. “She was there for you your whole life, kid. She raised you. She loves you unconditionally. She might not have given birth to you, but hell, Henry, anyone that doesn’t know that wouldn’t know the difference. Regina is your mother. You best never forget that you hear me?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you?”

“Beth,” Mary Margaret said as she stepped in between them with a frown. “He’s only ten. Take it easy on him.”

“Both of his mothers are missing, Mare. Riley showed up behind a dumpster at the station. I’m taking it as easy as I can right now, okay?” Beth exhaled sharply but she was on an edge. “I thought Snow White was a lot more understanding than this. Guess I was wrong about that too.”

“What?” Mary Margaret blinked in confusion. “What does—”

“She doesn’t know who she is, Beth! None of them do,” Henry said and she could tell by the way his voice cracked that he was on the verge of tears. “You can’t say stuff like that!”

“Beth?” Graham asked tentatively as he approached them in the kitchen with Riley tailing after him. “She wants her mother.”

“I—I’m working on it, okay!”

Graham shook his head and stepped closer to her and he leaned in slowly. “She wants her mother, Beth. Haven’t you been listening? It’s all she’s been talking about. I don’t know how much longer you’ll be able to go with avoiding a very severe meltdown, but the countdown is on and the clock is ticking.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do then?”

Graham and Mary Margaret just looked at one another for a moment before looking back at Beth. She watched them curiously and Henry grinned as he grabbed onto her hand excitedly. _No_.

“I’m not doing that,” she said through tightly gritted teeth. “I can’t do that to Riley. She knows I’m not—”

“Do you know how to deal with a toddler having an epic meltdown?” Mary Margaret asked her and Beth shook her head. “It isn’t fun, Beth. I know you feel like this isn’t the right thing to do, but it’d only be for tonight if only just to get the poor child asleep and her mind off the fact that her mother is missing.”

“That is an absolutely insane idea,” Beth said. “Not to mention a very _bad_ one. Riley knows her mother. There is no way in hell I can pass off as her even if I thought for a second that it was a good idea! Which it isn’t!”

Beth shook her head. She needed air. She needed to get out of the loft and just think, even if it was only for a few minutes. She grabbed her keys and left without a word, careful not to slam the door on her way out. She jogged down the stairs and stepped outside, frowning as she realized it was still raining just as hard as it had been when she got home.

She headed for the cruiser and got in, sighing heavily as she pulled the door shut. She shook her head and hit the steering wheel with her hands a few times before she resisted the urge to let out a frustrated scream.

She sat there for a few minutes before putting the key in the ignition. She drove off, driving through the streets of Storybrooke before she ended up at the station. She ignored her phone when it started ringing and she headed into the station quickly and went straight to her desk. She flipped on the old computer and waited for it to boot up while she stared at Mary Margaret’s name on her phone screen while it continued to ring.

By the third time Mary Margaret called, she was getting annoyed, but she still ignored it and logged into the computer. She pulled up a website and searched for Emma Swan, but there wasn’t a whole lot more information than what she’d found for Regina before. She thought back to what Henry had said about the woman he had met before he found Emma and she wrote the address down quickly on a pad of paper.

It was too late to drive out to Boston and the weather wasn’t ideal either. It wasn’t as if she could drive the cruiser out of town either because nobody outside of Storybrooke knew that the town even existed. It would just raise more questions than she wanted to think about. Besides, she couldn’t just leave tonight, not now that Riley had mysteriously shown up in Storybrooke and Henry was already staying at the loft with them.

Beth searched for a phone number for the address she had and she put her phone on silent before reaching for the station phone on her desk. She dialed the number and sat back in her chair as the line began to ring. She was about to give up and hang up by the twelfth ring, but then the line clicked as someone answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi,” Beth said. “I’m looking for…Carla? Miss Carla?” She asked after struggling to remember the woman’s name. “Is she there by any chance?”

“I’m sorry,” the man said softly. “Miss Carla passed away earlier this evening.”

“Oh, my condolences,” Beth frowned. “Whom am I speaking to?”

“Her son. Tom.”

“Tom, I’m so sorry to bother you at such a hard time, but I’m looking for a fri—my sister,” she said and she cleared her throat. “Her name is Emma and—”

“She’s not here,” Tom said sharply. “I’m sorry.”

“Do you know anyone that I can—”

“I don’t know her, ma’am. My mother did, but unfortunately, I don’t live in the city. I’m not well acquainted with the people my mother knows—knew.”

Beth frowned deeply and was about to end the call when she heard another voice in the background, a woman. It was muffled as if the man had placed his hand over the mouthpiece on the phone and then she heard shuffling as the phone was handed off.

“Who are you?” A woman asked.

“My name is Beth,” she replied. “I’m Emma’s sister. She’s—”

“Missing?” The woman asked. “Yes, my husband said as much just now, but if you find her, you’d best to hand her over to the police.”

“What? Why?”

“Miss Carla had a safe in her room,” the woman explained and she sounded very irritated. “When we came here after we left the hospital, we discovered the safe was broken into and her life savings is missing. Your sister was the last person here. We have every reason to believe that she is the one who stole the money.”

“Whoa, no, I don’t think so,” Beth said as she leaned forward in the chair. “Emma didn’t steal anything. She’s missing and her daughter is here. Her daughter saw her being taken by someone—”

“I don’t know how you think we can help you, ma’am,” the woman said coldly. “If your sister was indeed taken, perhaps you should be calling the police and not us while we grieve for my husband’s mother’s sudden death tonight.”

“Please—” Beth started but the sound of the phone being slammed rang in her ears before she could say another word. “Damn it! Now what the hell do I do?”

Beth glanced down at her cell to see that Mary Margaret still hadn’t given up on calling her. She hesitated for a moment before she answered the call.

“Mare, I know what you’re going to say but—”

“It’s me,” Henry said. “Why aren’t you answering you phone, Beth? Where did you go?”

“I needed to get some air,” she said. “I’m at the station. I had to make a phone call.”

“And?”

“I spoke with Miss Carla’s son,” she replied. “She passed away tonight, Hen.”

“Did they see Emma? Do they—”

“No,” she said quickly. “No, he said he never met her. I’m sorry, Hen. Look, I’ll figure this out, okay? I’ll find her. I promise.”

“Are you coming back?”

Beth frowned and ran a hand over her head as she leaned back in her chair. “Yeah, I’m coming back, Henry. I just—I need to make a few more phone calls. If someone really did take Emma, we don’t have a lot of time on our side right now, you know?”

“Do you think something bad has happened to her?”

“I—”

“How do you think Riley got here if Emma was taken in Boston? Do you think maybe there is magic involved?” Henry asked and he was speaking quietly but quickly. “Beth?”

“I don’t know, Henry. I don’t know.”

“Mary Margaret said you need to come back,” he whispered. “Riley is crying. She hasn’t stopped since you walked out.”

“Shit,” Beth breathed out under her breath. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be back, okay?”

“As you? Or as Emma?”

“Henry, pretending to be her mother is not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“She’ll know I’m only pretending,” Beth replied. “It’s not a good idea.”

“She’s only four,” Henry replied. “If you do something different with your hair, put on different clothes or something—”

“Hen, trust me, it’s _not_ a good idea. She’ll know and she’ll be even more upset than she already is. The poor kid has already gone through a lot today.”

“But—”

“I’ll see you in a bit, Henry.”

Beth hung up and groaned loudly as she dropped her phone onto her desk. She pushed away from the desk, stood up, and marched off into the locker room. She stood in front of the only sink and stared at herself long and hard in the mirror.

It really wasn’t a good idea.

Beth knew she and Emma were identical, save for the scar on her chin and her hair that was styled differently and not as curly as Emma’s hair was.

It’s really, really not a good idea.

Beth ran her fingers over her scar and frowned. There were minor differences, some subtle, others not. Even the way they spoke and walked was different, and she wasn’t even sure she’d spent enough time with Emma to be able to pass off as Emma to her own daughter who knew her better than anyone.

Beth shook her head as she pulled her hair out of the ponytail and shook it free. She ran her hands under the water for a minute before running them through her hair, scrunching it up to create soft waves. She shook the excess water from her hands and headed to her locker. She always kept a duffel bag in her locker with a change of clothes and makeup even if she didn’t wear it much anymore.

It wasn’t a good idea, probably the worst idea, but she couldn’t stand knowing how upset Riley was and she truly didn’t know how to deal with a toddler having a tantrum either. They could manage somehow and at least Mary Margaret could since she was so good with children of all ages. Even Graham was good with children in his own way. There wasn’t any reason for her to go through with the worst idea of impersonating her twin sister.

So, why was she changing her clothes and grabbing the concealer out of the small little makeup bag so she could hide her scar? Beth wasn’t entirely sure and it almost felt as if she was on autopilot and not in control of her own body or mind at all.

[X]

Henry stood in the kitchen and watched Mary Margaret and Graham both attempt to calm Riley down. It didn’t matter what they tried, what they said, the little girl just kept crying and asking for her mom over and over again.

Mary Margaret had tried and failed to get Riley to stop crying. Graham hadn’t had much better luck and Henry? He too had tried but all Riley wanted was her mom and nothing else in the whole wide world seemed to matter to her other than that.

Henry groaned as he stuck his index fingers in his ears as Riley screeched when Mary Margaret tried to pick her up. He had no idea anyone could scream that loudly and he frowned as Graham walked into the kitchen with a heavy look on his face and opened the fridge.

“Never underestimate the power of a toddler tantrum, lad,” he said as he pulled out a cold bottle of beer. “Is Beth coming home?”

“She said she’ll be a few minutes,” Henry replied. “Do you think Riley is ever going to stop crying, Graham?”

“She’ll wear herself out eventually,” he said with a slight shrug. “Hopefully sooner rather than later if you ask me.”

“You’re telling me. Do all girls scream that loudly?”

Graham stifled a chuckle. “You’re still too young to understand that, mate.”

Henry frowned and turned his attention back to Riley as she pushed and hit Mary Margaret in an attempt to get away from her. Henry turned back to the sheriff and motioned to the beer he had in his hand.

“Too young for one of those too, huh?”

“About eleven years too young,” he chuckled. “Don’t worry much, lad, you’re not missing out on anything. There are plenty of ways to deal with, well…everything that life hands you.”

“I wouldn’t know.”

Henry continued to watch his half-sister and felt like he should be able to do something to help her, to calm her down, but in a way, he could understand why she was so upset and why she missed her mom. It made him think of his mom and he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Guilt.

He missed her too and he was worried about her. What if someone really bad had happened to her and nobody could help her? What if she never got better again? Henry jumped a little when Graham patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, lad,” he said gently. “We’ll find Emma and—”

“It’s not just Emma I’m worried about,” Henry replied. “I’m worried about my mom too.”

“I know. I am as well. Would you like me to call the hospital and see if there have been any changes?”

“They said they’d call.”

Graham sighed and gave him another pat on the shoulder. Henry pulled away, annoyed. He liked the sheriff but he didn’t like it when he treated him like any other kid. When the door opened, he looked over and watched Beth walk in, but he noticed right away that Beth wasn’t exactly herself. Her hair was different and her scar was gone. Even her clothes were different than what she had on before. Beth gave Henry and Graham a quick glance with a look that said for them not to utter a word.

“Oh!” Mary Margaret exclaimed as Riley ran from her and straight into Beth’s arms.

“Mommy!”

Beth said not a word as she picked the red-faced toddler up and spun her around a few times. Riley giggled as the tears suddenly stopped and the loft grew quiet. Henry watched in fascination as Riley stared at Beth, but she didn’t see the difference between Beth and Emma, not like they did and not like she should’ve been able to.

“She’s been upset,” Mary Margaret said. “I think she’s more than ready for bed after the long day she’s just had…Emma.”

“Of course,” Beth replied with a nod. “What do you say we go upstairs and take Beth’s bed and you can go to sleep, okay?”

“Why, Mommy?” Riley asked as she lifted her hands to rub tiredly at her eyes.

“Because,” Beth said softly. “It is past your bedtime.”

Henry held his breath as Beth carried Riley up the stairs, waiting for that moment where Riley realized that this wasn’t really her mother. He wasn’t the only one either, the sheriff had barely moved and Mary Margaret was just staring up at the stairs in bewilderment and a little bit of awe.

“How did that work?” Henry asked, though his question wasn’t directed at anyone in particular. “That shouldn’t have worked.”

“We’re lucky she’s as tired as she is not to have noticed,” the sheriff said quietly. “Let’s hope she sleeps throughout the night.”

“Henry, I’ll make up a bed for you on the couch if you’d like?” Mary Margaret said as she joined him and the sheriff in the kitchen.

“Okay.”

“I’ll give the hospital a ring,” Graham said as he pulled out his flip-phone from his vest pocket. “Find out about your mother and if there have been any changes.”

“Okay.”

“Henry?” Mary Margaret asked gently. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” he lied and forced a smile. “Just tired too, I guess.”

Mary Margaret frowned as she reached out to him and wrapped him up in a tight hug. He hugged her back and turned his attention to the sheriff who was speaking quietly on the phone about his mother. Henry knew there wasn’t any news, good or bad when the sheriff ended the call almost immediately. Mary Margaret hugged him again and he felt a lump rising in his throat, one he couldn’t swallow away. The worry for his mother only grew significantly and a big part of him just wanted to run, run as far and fast as he could, but he didn’t. He couldn’t.

“There have been no changes to Regina’s condition,” Graham said softly. “I’m sorry, lad,” he frowned as he looked down at Henry. “I’ll call again later and keep checking if you’d like?”

“Okay.”

“Hey, would you like some hot cocoa before bed, sweetie?” Mary Margaret asked and Henry almost said no, but he could never resist a hot cocoa, especially not when Mary Margaret made it exactly the way he liked it, with whipped cream and cinnamon.

He felt guilty again because he knew his mom wouldn’t let him have hot cocoa so close to bedtime. Despite that, he still wasn’t going to say no, not when it offered him a little comfort from home.

[X]

Regina was restless. She was restless and exhausted and she just couldn’t sleep. Her mind was racing and yet her thoughts kept getting jumbled together, over and over again. She needed to find a way to break the spell, to get her and Emma out of there before that place ruined both of them, starting with what was left of their sanity.

Without a clock, Regina had no idea what time it was, but it was late and it was close to the time when the day would start all over again and the rest of those trapped there in that spell would know nothing else but that very day. Yet, without knowing exactly what time it was, Regina could begin to feel the slight shift in the air. It made her skin prickle just a little, like a cold draft on a warm night that somehow crept its way inside the house.

It was a familiar feeling, the magic, and she wasn’t sure if it was because she now knew who was behind the spell or if it was because she was becoming more aware as her magic was beginning to awaken from its dormant state from deep within.

She flexed her fingers, waiting for her magic to appear, but aside from the slight buzz she felt emanating from her fingertips, nothing else happened. With a heavy sigh, she began to pace in the small room, her eyes long since adjusted to the faint light that came in through the window in the door. She stopped every couple of steps, waiting for that shift, for time to start all over again, but the anticipation of it happening was slowly driving her crazy.

The sound of the door unlocking sounded louder than anything else in the quiet of the night and Regina stood still in the middle of the room as the door slowly opened.

“Neal?” She blinked as the light flooded into the room. “What are you doing here?”

“Trying to help,” he said softly. “Come on, we don’t have much time.”

“I know, but—”

“We have to get to Emma and then I can get you two out.”

“I thought you said we can’t escape?”

“Well, we need to try, don’t we?” Neal asked and he motioned for Regina to follow him out into the hallway. “I’ve been here too long, Regina, but there is one difference between you and I. Magic. I’ve never had magic but you…” He trailed off as he peered up and down the empty hallway. “You’ve always had magic.”

“Not for the last twenty-eight years.”

“It’s still inside of you,” he said. “It’s always going to be inside you. You just need to wake it up.”

“Believe me, I have tried countless of times.”

“Well, you’re gonna need to try a little harder right now.”

Regina shook her head and followed him down the hallway until he came to a stop in front of a door. Using one of the keys on his large key ring, he unlocked the door and called out Emma’s name quietly. Regina anxiously looked up and down the hallway with worry and fear that someone would catch them and that their chance that night would be over before it even began.

“Come on,” Neal whispered as Emma stepped out tentatively.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going to try to break out of this spell,” Regina answered. “Although how we’re going to do that, I have no idea. It’s not as if I was warned that Neal would be coming to help us tonight.”

Neal frowned. “If it doesn’t work tonight, we’ll try again tomorrow.”

“And if it doesn’t work tomorrow either?” Regina questioned and she saw Emma frown before Neal just grabbed ahold of both their hands and urged them down the hallway to another locked door that led into a stairwell.

“Take these stairs right down into the basement,” Neal said as he ushered them inside the stairwell. “When you get to the bottom, go through the door and make a right. There is a hatch at the very end of that hallway that should still be unlocked. Go through there and head for the wall.”

“What wall?”

“The one at the far end of the yard,” Neal replied. “It’s where the spell is the weakest, at least that is what I’ve figured out so far.”

“How can _you_ tell if that’s where it is the weakest?” Regina asked. “Only those who have or had magic would be able to—”

“You forget who my father was—is,” he said with a shake of his head. “Go, there isn’t much time!”

“What about you?” Emma asked him. “Aren’t you coming too?”

“I don’t think I can,” Neal replied. “I don’t have magic.”

“Well, neither do I!”

Regina frowned, unsure whether to say anything. Emma Swan was the product of True Love, as was Elizabeth, so that meant they both had magic they were unaware they possessed. Emma wasn’t a believer, but after what she’d gone through in the last couple of days, there was no doubt in Regina’s mind that she was starting to believe in magic, in the curse, in…everything.

“Go!” Neal urged. “You don’t have much time! If you don’t go now, you’ll have to wait to try again tomorrow night.”

“What about you?” Emma asked with desperation in her voice that made Regina’s frown deepen. “Neal, you have to come with us. Please?”

“Em, I can’t. Just go, please.”

“But—”

“Go!” Neal urged as he gave her a nudge towards the stairs.

Regina took the lead, heading down the stairs as quickly as she could. She paused on the first landing to look back to make sure that Emma was right behind her and once that was confirmed, she continued to walk down the stairs quickly.

“Regina?”

She ignored the blonde and continued down the stairs, more than determined to get out of that place and find the weak spot in the spell. She was breathing heavily as they reached the main floor as indicated on the sign on the wall and she continued down the stairs until she reached the bottom. With a deep inhale, she turned to look back at the woman struggling to keep up with her.

“Out of shape?” Regina asked in a teasing tone as she tried to catch her own breath. “Come on, Miss Swan, we must hurry.”

“Cut it with the Miss Swan crap, Regina,” Emma snapped. “What the hell was Neal talking about when he said he couldn’t come because he doesn’t have magic? I don’t have magic and you said you don’t either.”

“It’s in there,” Regina said. “Deep inside, asleep momentarily. I can feel it just faintly now. And you?” She paused as she took a long, hard look at the woman in front of her. “You have it inside of you too, Emma.”

“I do?”

“Yes, you do. You are the product of True Love. You have magic, untapped magic lying dormant inside of you. It just needs to be woken up.”

“Huh,” Emma said sounding a little surprised. “And Beth?”

“She does too.”

“But only I’m supposed to be the savior?”

“Yes.”

“How does that work?”

“Emma, we don’t have time for this conversation,” Regina sighed in annoyance. “We have to move! Unless you are more than willing to stay here another day and go through everything all over again, then by all means, stay.”

“Hell no,” Emma said sharply. “I want to get out of here.”

“As do I. Let’s move. Quickly now.”

They took a right down the hallway once they exited the stairwell. It was dark, damp, and eerily quiet. Regina stopped when she heard voices that echoed off the stone walls and Emma walked right into her back. She turned to stop Emma from making a sound and placed a hand over Emma’s mouth as the voices continued to echo off the walls.

Emma grabbed ahold of Regina’s hips and pulled her into a small, dark alcove in the wall as the voices grew louder and nearer. Regina dropped her hand from Emma’s mouth and stared straight at her as their bodies were flush against one another. Regina could feel that familiar pull, the same one she felt with Elizabeth, only it was much stronger and every one of her senses was delightfully heightened.

She could feel Emma’s warm breath dancing over her lips. She could smell the cheap soap on Emma’s skin and just the smell of Emma under that. She could feel the heat emanating off of Emma’s body and the softness of Emma’s hands on her hips. She could almost hear Emma’s heartbeat racing just as fast as her own and she could see, albeit faintly, the many emotions that showed so truly in Emma’s eyes in that very moment.

Regina inhaled sharply as two men walked past. Orderlies. They smelled of cigarette smoke and marijuana, and Regina pulled a face as the smell lingered in the small alcove for a handful of seconds after they had walked past. Emma just stifled a laugh and gave her hips a gentle squeeze before she made the move to step out first, leaving Regina in the alcove and the cold damp to return to her body all at once.

“It’s clear,” Emma whispered. “They’re gone.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

They continued down the hallway until they reached the end. Regina looked around the dead end for the hatch Neal had mentioned and she began to panic when she saw nothing but wall and ceiling. It was only when Emma reached out for her hand and pointed off to the side did she feel her worry ease and together they pulled open the hatch and stood back as the ladder slid down. It hit the floor loudly and they both cringed.

“Shit, someone would’ve heard that,” Emma muttered. “Come on, Regina, we need to go.”

“As I’ve only been saying this whole time,” she said under her breath as she stepped back and watched Emma scramble up the metal ladder.

Once Emma was past the opening of the hatch, Regina followed. The metal was cold and wet and she had to be careful not to slip as she followed Emma up the ladder slowly. She heard a squeak as Emma opened the other end of the hatch. Once Emma was out, she reached down for Regina’s hand and helped pull her the rest of the way. Regina groaned as her feet touched the cold, hard grass. They both looked around at where they were and that’s when Regina saw it, just a sliver of a shimmer by the tall wall that surrounded the entire institute.

“There,” she pointed out to Emma.

Emma took off first, jogging across the hard, wet grass and Regina followed. It was harrowing running across an open area in the dark and it gave her a rush she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Driven by the adrenaline running through her body, she kept up with Emma until they reached the ten-foot high wall.

“Now what?” Emma asked breathlessly. “Regina?”

“We have to climb.”

“How? There is nothing to grab onto, Regina!”

Regina scanned the wall quickly and groaned in frustration. There were a few cracks and bricks that stuck out, but nothing that led them straight up to the weakest part of the spell at the top of the wall. Regina began to panic as she heard an alarm wailing from inside the building behind them. They were running out of time and someone had noticed that one or both of them were no longer in their room.

“Emma, we have to go right now!”

“How?” Emma asked frantically. “Regina?”

“Just try to climb,” Regina yelled.

She clawed at the bricks and tried to find something to grab ahold of while Emma did the same. The alarm began to blare louder as the yard filled with lights, lights that barely made it to the wall where they were. Suddenly Emma pulled Regina into the bushes a few feet away and they huddled as low as they could together as the lights swept over the spot they had just been standing. Much like what had happened in the basement, it was Emma who put a hand over Regina’s mouth and with her other, she placed a finger over her own lips to tell Regina to stay quiet.

Regina placed a hand over the one that was covering her mouth in silent reassurance that she wasn’t going to say a word. Emma reluctantly dropped her hand and they huddled as low to the ground as they could together. The bush, surprisingly, gave them just enough cover as a few men ran past with flashlights.

Regina wasn’t about to consider them lucky. They were out of time. She could feel the spell recharging itself, getting ready for the time shift that started the day all over again. She tensed, feeling defeated and hopeless with every second that passed. Despite the intensity of the moment, despite the fact she could feel the wet mud soaking through the knees of her pants, she felt something else, she could feel Emma.

It made her heart race much quicker and mixed with the adrenaline and the fear that was racing through her body, it made her lightheaded and her thoughts both fuzzy and clear all at once. She clung to Emma only because she was trying to keep her mind open, to stay within the moment, to count down those seconds before time shifted and they ended up exactly where they were at the beginning of the day all over again.

Regina peered through a small opening of the bush and saw the men that had just passed were now out of earshot. She turned to Emma and just for a split second she stared at her and tried to garner what she was thinking and feeling.

“We need to get out of here,” Emma said and Regina nodded. There was no question about it. “How do we get out of here now?”

“I’m afraid our time is running short,” she whispered in reply. “We need to try again tomorrow. We need another ten minutes.”

“Just ten?”

“How much longer do you need to scale that wall?”

“In case you didn’t notice, it’s not exactly a leap here, Regina. We need to come up with an actual plan. We need…resources.”

“Such as?”

“A ladder would help,” Emma said with a shrug. “I’m just saying! We should—”

“Emma, we need to figure this out. I don’t want to waste another day,” Regina said sternly and the look Emma gave her in return almost melted her heart. “Emma, whatever happens now, whether you remember or not—”

“Why wouldn’t I remember?”

“I don’t know!” Regina said angrily. “Whether you remember today or not, I need you to try. I—I—we can’t spend more than a few days away from our children.”

“Regina, I am here,” Emma said in a hushed whisper as the men that had passed by them before made their way back. “I am here as much as you are. As fucking crazy as it sounds.”

“People who belong in this place don’t believe they are crazy.”

“Exactly!”

“Shut up!”

Regina grabbed onto Emma and placed a hand over her mouth as the men passed by the bush. They tensed and held their breath, hiding and cowering behind the bush that shouldn’t have hidden them as well as it was. Regina could feel the air around them shifting and warbling. She could even _taste_ the spell as it kicked in at full power, pulling her from where she knelt behind the bush with such force she nearly lost consciousness.

Regina moaned as she struggled to open her eyes and as she regained feeling in her body, she realized she was laying in a bed, a warm and soft bed. She tried harder to open her eyes and when she was able to open them only just a crack, she forced them shut again at the bright light that greeted her.

“Regina?”

She moaned again as she tried to move. What was wrong with her? Was she drugged again? She tried to open her eyes once more and it was a struggle to get her vision to focus, but when it did, she saw Dr. Whale standing by the bed she laid in, clipboard in hand and a pensive look on his face.

“Madam Mayor?” He asked gently. “Regina?”

“Wh—where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital,” the doctor replied. “You—”

“Where?”

“Storybrooke,” he said, confused. “Regina, something has happened and unfortunately I have yet to figure it out. I need you to remain calm as I do a few tests.”

“Henry?” Regina questioned, words suddenly failing her as she felt that pull and tried to fight it. “Where is—”

In a flash, she was back in the institute and in the room that had become her prison. She cried out in frustration as she rushed over to the locked door and started to bang her fists against it until she crumpled to the floor in exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to apologize for lack of updates, but I've had a lot going on in my life that I haven't had enough time to write, unfortunately. I'm hoping that'll change soon, but in the meantime, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and again, I apologize for such a slow-burn, but all good stories take time to tell and I promise you guys, this one is going to be worth it! Thanks to everyone for their ongoing support!


	21. Chapter 21

They made plans to try again that very night when they saw each other first thing in the morning and after Regina sat through the visitation with her parents without an incident, she returned to the common area and took a seat beside Emma, this time on a small, worn couch by the sunniest window in the room.

She hadn’t talked about what had happened when the spell restarted and she wasn’t sure what she would even say about what had happened to her in those few short minutes. For all she knew, her waking up in Storybrooke in the hospital was very well just a hallucination, a side effect of the spell itself.

“How did it go?”

Regina blinked as she turned to look at Emma. “Fine,” she responded. “Just fine.”

“I’ve got a few questions,” Emma said quietly and she shifted on the couch and draped an arm around the back as she turned to face Regina. “Your mother cast this spell, right?”

“I believe so, yes. She is the one who kidnapped you and sent you to this place too.”

“But I was here before I ever met her,” Emma said, frowning.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to ask me, Emma.”

“It’s strange,” Emma mused. “Neal is here and I knew him before. How is he here too?”

“I’ve explained—”

“What purpose does your mother have of having him here? With me, even?”

“I do not know, Emma.”

“Do you think that your mother is here too? I mean, when you go to visit your parents every morning, is it her? Actually her?”

“No,” Regina replied. “It is most definitely not her and if it is,” she paused and looked around the room to make sure nobody was paying a speck of attention to them. “If it is her, she is one hell of an actress, that is for sure. But I did notice something this time.”

Emma leaned in closer, curious. Regina cleared her throat as she tried to relax and keep her expression stoic. Just being in close proximity to Emma now was making her feel more and more. She too was curious as to why because it was more than just an attraction she was feeling when it came to Emma Swan.

“What did you notice?”

“They’re empty,” Regina responded. “They are just a shell with a few memories, nothing more.”

“Real memories?”

“Not quite.”

“I’m confused.”

“They have memories that are both real and aren’t,” Regina said and she sighed, her irritation and annoyance slipping into place with ease. “This spell was designed to mess with the mind, to make it impossible to tell the difference between reality and…this.”

“So, this could be a hallucination?”

“No, it’s not.”

“How can you be so sure?” Emma asked and Regina reached over and pinched her bicep. “Ow!”

“Did that feel real enough for you, Miss Swan?”

“Jesus, Regina—”

“Oh stop,” Regina rolled her eyes. “I didn’t do it that hard.”

“Hard enough!”

“Everything all right over here, ladies?” Neal asked as he approached them and Regina noticed right away that a few other orderlies were watching them closely. “Is there a problem?”

“No,” Emma and Regina replied in unison.

“Remember,” Neal said slowly. “Hands off.”

Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes at the way he was speaking to them and she just smiled tightly. “Yes, of course,” she said. “ _Charlie_.”

“Tonight,” he whispered with a wink. “Earlier this time.”

“How much earlier?”

“I’ll try for an hour,” he said. “But that’s all I can do.”

An hour might just be enough, enough for them to get out and to the wall. They still needed to figure out how they were going to get up the wall and to the spot where the spell was the weakest. Regina had been thinking for hours just what they would do next when they got there as she wasn’t sure what was going to happen or where they’d end up if they broke through the weakest point. What she did know was that they had to go together.

Neal left them to go check on another patient that was curled up in a corner and muttering to himself incoherently. Regina turned to look at Emma and just for a moment she allowed herself to really look at the other woman. Emma’s features were heightened under the bright sunlight and she could see the small little differences between her and Elizabeth. Her eyes were a slightly different shade, a little greener yet paler. Even the way the freckles scattered over her nose and cheeks were in a very different and distinct pattern.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Regina said softly.

“Seriously,” Emma said with an arch of her brow. “What?”

“You and Elizabeth are a lot alike.”

“We’re twins, Regina.”

“But you’re very different too,” she finished with a small smile. “Different in good ways.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Sorry,” Regina apologized. “I don’t mean to stare.”

“It’s fine,” Emma replied. “I know you two, you know, had a thing going on.”

“A thing?”

“That you were fucking.”

Regina went silent as she felt a blush creep up over her cheeks. She suddenly felt defensive and felt the need to explain her relationship with Elizabeth, about how it was nothing more than sex and control at the best of times, about how it was nothing serious, and about how Elizabeth didn’t love her because she was with the sheriff. Never once in her life did Regina feel that need to defend her actions, but with Emma Swan, she was finding a lot of things about herself that were nothing short of surprising.

“We’re not—”

“She told me, Regina.”

Regina frowned. “Regardless of what she told you, we’re not anymore. It’s been…a while.”

“How long is a while?”

“Since you came to town,” Regina admitted. “And since I found out that she and the sheriff have been together all this time.”

“Ouch,” Emma winced. “Did you—were you—”

“I was never in love with her, dear,” Regina said quietly. “It was never about love.”

“What was it about?”

“Satisfying a need, a desire. It was about control.”

“What, like you two tied each other up and—”

“Not _that_ kind of control.”

“So, you’re not into that?”

Regina swallowed thickly. This was not a conversation she planned on having with anyone, much less Emma Swan. She turned to look away from Emma and shook her head.

“This is a conversation we should not be having, Miss Swan.”

“Why not?” Emma asked innocently. “Aren’t we supposed to be getting to know each other?”

“No.”

“Why not, Regina?”

“Because,” she drawled out slowly as she turned to look at her again. “If we weren’t trapped here, we would definitely not be getting to know one another. If Henry had never gone off to find you, you and I would’ve never met.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Emma said under her breath, but Regina heard it loud and clear. “But the way I figure it,” Emma continued with a smile that made Regina’s insides buzz in delight. “We’re stuck here. We’re the only ones sane enough to hold a conversation and I’m pretty sure if we don’t talk to each other, we’re going to end up like everyone else in this place.”

“We won’t be stuck here much longer if we are successful tonight,” Regina reminded her. “We cannot run into any delays or problems.”

“We do have one problem.”

“The wall,” Regina sighed. “I know.”

Emma turned to look out the window and Regina followed her line of sight a moment later. From their vantage point, all they could see was the wall they had been at last night and none of it looked to be climbable. Regina tried to look for the hatch they had come out of, but they were on the wrong side of the building. She noticed that as soon as she saw the front entry gates with the word Stonybrooke hanging above. With a groan, she slumped back on the couch.

“We need a ladder or something,” Emma said quietly. “Do you think we can ask Neal?”

“This place may only exist because of a spell, but I doubt people here are that blind. They’ll notice a ladder out by the wall long before we can even get there.”

“Right.”

“We have to find a way up that wall,” Regina sighed. “I don’t want to waste another chance.”

“Regina? What do you think is going to happen when we reach the weak spot in the spell?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” she scoffed as it wasn’t the first time Emma had asked that very question that morning. “I suppose anything could happen,” she mused as she stared at Emma’s pensive face. “We could end up back in Storybrooke or wherever our bodies are outside of this world.”

“Our bodies?”

“Yes, Miss Swan,” she said tightly. “We are trapped here and our bodies are still out there.”

“Doing what?”

“If I knew what you were doing out there, I would tell you,” Regina replied. “As for myself, I believe I am in the hospital.”

“What, why?”

“I don’t know, Miss Swan,” Regina said angrily.

“Sorry. Jeez. I’m trying to understand what the hell is going on here, Regina. You don’t have to bite my head off.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “You’re annoying me by asking questions I don’t have the answers to. I know just as much as you do at this moment, Miss Swan, so if you would please cease asking me anything else I can’t answer, it would be much appreciated.”

“I’ll stop if you stop calling me Miss Swan,” Emma said with a challenging glint in her eyes. “Deal?”

Regina rolled her eyes again, but she found this side of Emma a little endearing, just a little. Nobody really challenged her, nobody dared to, and Elizabeth had tried in the past but never quite the way that Emma was. There was just something about this woman that got under her skin in many different ways and Regina wasn’t sure if she wanted to punch her or kiss her.

“Well?”

“Hmm?”

“Do we have a deal, Regina?”

With another roll of her eyes, she gave Emma a curt nod. The small smile that Emma gave her made the butterflies in her stomach suddenly take flight and she shifted on the couch, trying in vain to rid those feelings from her body completely.

“You all right?”

“I’m fine, _Emma_ ,” she snapped. “I’m just exhausted.”

“I know, I am too, but we’ll get out of here soon, right?” Emma said though the way her voice wavered it told Regina that she too wasn’t entirely sure they’d be able to get free at all.

Regina knew with experience that any spell, even simple and small ones, could be unpredictable and complicated. This spell was anything but small and it was far more complicated than any curse, including the one Regina had cast twenty-eight years ago that brought her and the rest of the Enchanted Forest to a world without magic.

She wished there was a way she could figure out more about the spell, learn about the very mechanics of it. If only she could, it would help her break free of it, but because her mother was the one who cast it, there were more than likely a few other added elements to the spell, ones she couldn’t even anticipate at all.

“We need an actual plan,” Regina said after a few heavy minutes of silence went by between them. “A plan that includes being prepared for the unpredictable.”

“Like aside from getting up and over the wall?”

“Yes, precisely.”

“I’m thinking about what tipped them off that we were gone.”

“The ladder that came out of the hatch,” Regina said and Emma nodded. “The noise. We’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen again. The more time we have without being detected, the better chance we have of getting out of here.”

“I have a few ideas…”

[X]

Beth paced in the kitchen as Mary Margaret lifted the whistling kettle off the burner and poured the boiling water into the four mugs that were lined up on the counter. Two of the mugs were hot cocoa, one tea, and one for some instant coffee.

It felt like everyone had been holding their breath ever since Beth had gotten Riley to settle down and go to sleep. The poor girl was so tired that she barely noticed that Beth was impersonating her mother. Beth wasn’t even sure it was going to work, but after she tucked Riley into bed wearing a huge old t-shirt of Mary Margaret’s to sleep in, she was convinced she’d made the right choice in pretending to be Emma, even if it was a one-off thing.

“Now what?” Graham asked quietly. “Beth?”

“We need to find Emma.”

“Of course,” he replied. “But, don’t you get the feeling that there is something more going on here?”

“Yeah,” Beth frowned. “I do, but I have no idea what the hell is going on here.”

“None of us do,” Graham said and he reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. “We will figure it out. We’ll find Emma and Riley will be back with her mother soon enough.”

“And Regina?”

“She’ll pull through this too,” Graham said with an easy smile. “Never underestimate her. She is a very strong woman.”

“Yeah.”

“Besides, whatever it is she is going through right now, she will fight endlessly. For Henry.”

It went without saying that Regina would do absolutely anything for her son, but Graham’s words of reassurance didn’t settle Beth’s worries. She took the cup of instant coffee that Mary Margaret handed her and watched as Henry came into the kitchen to get his cup of hot cocoa. She could tell he was really worried about his mother, both of them, but considering the situation, he was holding it together quite well. She knew Regina would be proud.

Beth still had no idea what she was going to do or how she was going to even find out what happened to Emma. She did know, however, she wouldn’t be able to do much if she stayed in town.

She needed to go to Boston.

She knew the curse wouldn’t let her leave Storybrooke, but there was a chance that things might have changed ever since Emma came to town. She had to take that chance if they had any hope of finding Emma at all. Graham would stop her, so would Mary Margaret, so she knew if she was going to leave to go to Boston she’d have to leave before they found out she was gone.

Graham didn’t stay after he finished his cup of tea and after Beth walked him out and they shared a long good night kiss, she headed back inside. Henry was already up in her room and sleeping on the air mattress on the floor next to the bed. She quietly packed a bag and waited for Mary Margaret to turn in for the night.

She waited for almost an hour, fighting sleep, and when there had been no light or noise coming from downstairs for nearly forty minutes, she grabbed her bag, her phone, and her keys and headed down the stairs. She carefully avoided the creaky step and slipped out of the loft quietly.

When she reached the cruiser, she frowned. She couldn’t drive the cruiser out of town and with the cold rain, she couldn’t ride her motorcycle either. She hadn’t really thought that part through and she jumped into the cruiser anyway, tossing her bag into the back before pulling out of the lot.

On the third pass down Main Street, she pulled up alongside the side of the Marine Garage and killed the engine. She could see Michael’s office light on and she got out of the cruiser and headed into the shop. She knocked on the office door and took a step back as she waited for Michael to open the door.

“Beth?” He blinked in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

“I need a favor, Michael.”

“Sure.”

“I need a car,” she stated plainly. “Something that’ll get me to Boston and back.”

“Boston?” He looked even more confused. “Why would you want to go to Boston?”

“There is something I have to do,” she answered, not willing to give him too much information. “Do you have a car I can borrow?”

“It depends.”

“On what?”

“How long are you going for?”

“A couple of days,” Beth replied. “Three days,” she said and she smiled sweetly at the man. “Three days, Michael, and I’ll be back with the car. I’ll even pay you for the loaner.”

“Billy just finished the Mustang this afternoon,” he said as he pointed to the old black Mustang sitting in the garage. “Brand new engine, new tires, the tank isn’t full of gas but has just enough to get to the station to fill ‘er up.”

“Great.”

“But,” he drawled as he looked at her. “That car is a classic, Beth. If anything happens—”

“Nothing is going to happen to it, Michael.”

“I need a deposit,” he finished. “Insurance. Just in case.”

“How much?”

“More than you can afford.”

Beth sighed and shifted on her feet. “What if I give you my Harley as insurance, Michael? Is that enough?”

Michael eyed her carefully before sticking out a hand. She reached out to shake his hand and he gave her a low grunt. “The keys, Beth. Your insurance.”

Beth pulled out her keys and slipped off the key to her Harley. She handed it over and once Michael handed her the key to the Mustang, she flashed him a sweet and grateful smile.

“I’m going to drive the cruiser over to the station and I’ll be back for the car.”

“Sure, just pull it out of the garage for now. I’m going to lock up and head home for the night. It is late, after all.”

“Thanks, Michael.”

“Three days,” he said with a warning glare. “That’s all I am giving you, Beth. Three days.”

“I’ll see you in three days,” she replied and she headed over to the Mustang and got in. “Damn,” she laughed as she turned over the engine and backed out of the garage.

Once she parked the car on the road, she drove the cruiser to the station and walked back to the garage. She didn’t waste much more time in getting out of Storybrooke and she stopped at the gas station to top up the tank even though it was closed. She used the key that was given to her and Graham in case of emergencies and once the tank was filled, she left a few twenties on the counter inside the small shop.

She knew that the chances of her being unable to leave Storybrooke were high. She’d heard of horror stories before of people who had tried to leave, some ending up in car accidents that nearly took their lives and others disappearing seemingly into thin air, but for all she knew, they had gotten out of there safe and sound and started a new life somewhere else, somewhere far away.

The nerves started as she took the only road that led out of town and they only increased when she saw the “Leaving Storybrooke” sign looming ahead. She hit the gas, pedal to the metal and zoomed past the sign on the rain-slick road. She held her breath and didn’t let go until she checked the rearview mirror and could no longer see the sign, either of them. She came to a sudden stop, the tires skidding on the slick asphalt and she shifted the gear into park before getting out of the car.

“What?” Beth blinked in confusion. There was no sign of the signs leading in and out of Storybrooke. “Huh.”

She got back into the Mustang and, without another thought, she drove off down the road doing ten over the speed limit with only thoughts of getting to Boston to find Emma on her mind.

[X]

Emma waited for Neal to come as he had the night before. She felt anxious and antsy. All she wanted was to get the hell out of there. Trying, even if they failed again, wasn’t a complete failure, not trying at all would be. She had been thinking about it all day, about the plan she and Regina had come up with, about the ideas they both had. All they had to do was hope Neal was able to keep up with his end of the deal, to leave the shed where the tools and ladders were kept unlocked for them.

All afternoon she thought about something else as well, she thought about what had happened when she saw her “future” that included Regina and Henry. The more she thought about it, the more she had herself convinced that it was all a part of the spell that had them trapped there in Stonybrooke Institute. It just _had_ to be another way to mess with her mind, to make her feel trapped within the trap, that much she had convinced herself until she began to think about how Regina made her _feel_.

So much of what she felt when she was around Regina, words couldn’t accurately describe it, but one of the things she knew she did feel was the sense of it feeling right. There was a definite attraction, Emma wasn’t about to deny that even for a second especially when Regina was completely gorgeous, practically a goddess.

Not to mention she was completely out of Emma’s league.

Emma wondered if she was thinking and feeling that way because of what she had seen and heard if she thought she felt the way she did about Regina because of that, because of the spell.

But she knew that wasn’t true because that feeling had been there long before she had left Storybrooke. She was only just realizing that now. At the same time, she knew that she couldn’t dwell on those feelings or even think of doing anything about them until they were out of the spell that had taken them both from their children and their lives. Once they were free, only then, Emma knew, she could think about the things that were running rampant through her mind.

She turned to the door when she heard the click of the lock. She smiled as Neal stepped in and it was a smile that quickly faded. What would happen to him when she and Regina left? Would he just stay there for the rest of his life, living the same day over and over again? There had to be a way for them to come back for him or even—

“Em?” Neal said as he cupped her elbow. “Come on. We have a very small window to get you two down to the basement.”

“Neal—”

“We don’t have time to talk, Em.”

“No,” she frowned. “No, you need to come with us.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can!”

Neal frowned before he wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her for a moment. “I really can’t. I’ve tried. I’ve tried so many times. It doesn’t work for me.”

“What if it doesn’t—”

“It will. It will work for both of you. Now,” he said as he backed out of their embrace. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the stairwell and come back for Regina. You’ll need to get down to the basement and wait there for her.”

“That isn’t the plan!”

“That corridor is patrolled,” he said quickly as he led her to the door. “This plan you two came up with would work if the schedule hadn’t suddenly changed. You need to get down there and hide in that alcove you said you and Regina had hidden in last night and Regina will find you. I’ll explain everything to her.”

Emma followed Neal out of the room and before they reached the stairwell, they were stopped by one of the other orderlies. Neal just explained very casually that they were taking a walk so that Emma could calm down before bed and then they were left alone without another word from the man. Neal took ahold of her elbow and led her down another corridor that was unfamiliar to her.

They walked through a few more corridors, passing by some doctors finishing up their shifts for the night, and thankfully they didn’t pass by the ones that Emma had encountered a few times since she came there. Neal didn’t say a word and after what felt like an eternity, they were in the stairwell.

“Go,” he said softly. “I’ll go and get Regina—”

“And take her on a guided tour too?” Emma asked sarcastically. “Was all of that really necessary, Neal?”

“Do you want to wait another night to do this, Em?”

“No.”

“Then yes, it was necessary, but I’m hoping once I get Regina we can come straight here without running into anyone. The shift is about to change. We shouldn’t run into anyone.”

“What was the point in trying to get out of here earlier if—”

“You’ll still have a ten-minute window compared to last night,” he said and he leaned in and placed a quick, light kiss to Emma’s right cheek. “Go and wait. Regina will be down soon.”

“Neal?”

“Yeah?”

“What about you?”

“Don’t you worry about me, Em,” he said with a tight smile that didn’t put her worries at ease. “I can take care of myself.”

Neal slipped out of the stairwell and Emma hurried down the stairs as quickly and quietly as she could. Once she reached the basement, she hid in the alcove to wait for Regina, but it wasn’t the same as it had been before with Regina hiding in there with her. It was colder, damper, and darker. Emptier. Scarier.

She heard voices and footsteps mere minutes after she stepped into the alcove and after a few seconds, the same orderlies that had passed them the night before passed by her, walking in the opposite direction. She tensed when she heard footsteps a minute later, but these were lighter and only belonged to one person, not two.

Regina. Emma sighed in relief when Regina appeared in front of the alcove. Regina just gave her a look and headed down the corridor to where the hatch was located. Emma followed tentatively, waiting to be caught any minute by the two orderlies who had snuck down there to smoke, but they weren’t anywhere around to be seen or heard, and for now, they were safe.

As Neal had promised, a pillow was waiting on the floor by the hatch and Regina grabbed it to place it on the floor to mute the sound of the ladder hitting the ground once Emma opened the hatch. So far, everything was going to plan, but Emma’s heart was racing and her anxiety was growing with every second that passed.

“Do you feel it?” Regina asked once they were halfway up the ladder. “Do you?”

“I feel something,” Emma murmured. “I don’t know what, though, but it kind of feels like it did last night.”

“You can feel the spell,” Regina said. “I know because I can.”

“I still don’t get why you think I can—that I have magic. If I had magic, wouldn’t I have always known, Regina?”

“Perhaps you have just missed the signs all these years, Emma. Now, get moving. Our window of opportunity is growing less and less the longer we pitter patter about.”

Emma rolled her eyes and then continued up the ladder to the top and opened the hatch that opened up on the lawn. She opened it slowly and peered out before determining the coast was clear. She climbed out and helped Regina out, their joined hands lingering together for a few seconds longer than necessary. It was only then that she noticed just how exhausted Regina really looked, but even as exhausted and worn out as she was, to her, Regina was as beautiful as ever and the moment that thought rolled through her mind, butterflies took flight in the pit of her stomach.

Emma let go only of Regina’s left hand and led her quickly to the utility shed Neal was supposed to have left unlocked. They found the shed and together they grabbed a ladder off the hooks on the wall and headed outside. It felt easy like they were really going to be able to get out of there, and for a second Emma felt like it was _too_ easy.

Maybe it was, but she couldn’t let that stop her from trying. With Regina’s guidance, they found the weak spot at the wall and they propped the ladder up. Emma was anxious and nervous, waiting for that alarm to go off before they even got that far, but there was nothing but silence and darkness, and so far they were one step ahead of the game and still on track with their plan.

“Now what?” Emma asked as they stood at the bottom of the ladder. “You said we have to go through together, right?”

“Yes.”

“How exactly do we do that with one ladder, Regina?”

“One of us will wait at the top while the other catches up.”

“And then what?”

Regina looked visibly annoyed. “Then we go through together.”

“Through what?”

“The weak part of the spell.”

“And we end up where, exactly?”

“I don’t know, Emma,” Regina sighed. “Do you want to go up first or should I? We’re wasting precious time here.”

Emma could hear the “Miss Swan” in Regina’s voice without her having to say it. She made a flourish for Regina to go up the ladder first and she watched her as Regina climbed up slowly. Once Regina was nearly to the top, she started to climb up after her, careful not to go too quickly so the ladder wouldn’t slip away from the wall.

Emma reached the top just a few seconds after Regina had hoisted herself on the edge. There wasn’t much room for her to move and it was higher than it seemed from her perspective on the ground. Emma wasn’t one for heights, but after all that she’d been through in the last few days, her nerves were on the extreme edge.

“Can you feel it now, Emma?”

“I feel my dinner about to come up.”

“Focus,” Regina said sharply as she grabbed onto Emma’s right wrist and held her hand up in front of them. “Can you feel it?”

Emma could feel a bunch of things, mostly Regina touching her, but when she focused, she could feel a wave of energy coursing through her fingertips and the palm of her hand.

“I can feel it. I think.”

“It’s not weak enough,” Regina said as she let go of Emma’s wrist and held a hand out. “I don’t know if this is the right spot.”

“Where is it then?”

“It’s near here,” Regina replied with a roll of her eyes. “Come on, we have to move, Emma, before the alarm is sounded and our chance is delayed another day yet again.”

“There is no way in hell I’m staying here another day.”

“Then you need to move.”

“Where?” Emma exclaimed to the barely foot wide wall they were both straddling. “Seriously, Regina, this wasn’t a real well thought out plan here—”

Emma was suddenly falling, but not to the side of the wall they had just climbed up, but into pitch-blackness. There was a feeling of nothingness and the air felt neither heavy nor light. She felt weightless. She felt it hard to breathe, as there was no air all around her for a few long, lingering moments.

“Oof!” Emma landed hard on the ground, her vision and other senses coming back to her all at once, including the pain she felt in her side from landing awkwardly on the ground.

It was cold where she was, colder than on the other side of the wall. The wall that _had_ just been there. Emma turned around slowly and found nothing but dark, dark woods behind her and surrounding her. Panic began to fill her and it weighed heavy on her chest. None of her surroundings were familiar, much like the first time she woke up inside the spell thinking it was just a bad dream. _This_ was a bad dream, but it was real, she could feel it in the way the cold, wet grass soaked through her thin pants.

It took her a few minutes before she could move from the position she was on the ground. Her legs felt too weak and shaky, but she took a few steps as she held her hands out in front of her.

“What are you doing?”

“Regina?” Emma blinked as she turned around as quickly as her legs would allow her. “Regina!”

“No need to yell, Miss Swan, I’m right here,” Regina said tightly and Emma spun around to face the woman, never having felt so relieved to see someone in all her life. “Are you all right? That was quite a fall—”

Emma hugged her tightly, not sure what made her do it and it clearly caught Regina by surprise. “Are you okay?” Emma asked, not releasing Regina from the one-sided embrace. “Regina?”

“I’m fine,” she said quietly. “And you didn’t answer my question. Are _you_ all right?”

Emma shook her head as she dropped her arms from around Regina. She looked down at her body and aside from her clothes caked in mud and her body a little banged up and sore, she was fine. She quickly nodded her head and took a better look at their surroundings. They were in the woods, that was apparent and clear, but where, there was no indication.

“I’m okay,” she said under her breath. “Bit hard of a fall, nothing I can’t walk off. What about you?”

“We’ve already established that I’m fine.”

“Didn’t you hit the ground too?”

“No,” Regina said and she inhaled deeply. “I was able to soften my landing.”

“On what?”

“You.”

“What?” Emma blinked in surprise. “How long was I out?”

“A good five minutes,” Regina replied nonchalantly. “Don’t worry, Miss Swan, I knew you were all right. The effects of magic can take its toll on those who aren’t used to the feeling.”

“Did we get out?”

“It appears so.”

“Well, I’m no expert on spells and magic, but if our bodies were outside of the spell and we were there, shouldn’t we have, you know, poofed back into our bodies or something?”

Regina looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a soft, amused chuckle escaped a second later. “One would think that is how it should have worked.”

“Well, how _should_ it have worked?”

“Essentially, exactly as you just described,” Regina sighed. “I have no idea where we are or if we truly are out of the spell. We need to find our way out of these woods.”

“Which way?”

“I don’t know,” Regina said, her irritation grating on Emma’s nerves as she spoke. “We came from this way,” she said as she hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “Let’s try that way, shall we?”

Normally, Emma would’ve challenged the decision and would’ve wanted to try a different direction, but she was way out of her element not to mention she was cold, wet, and sore. Instead, she let Regina lead the way through the dark woods, staying as close behind her as best as she could.

The thin shoes they were given to wear at the institute were not made for walking through the woods in the middle of the night. They provided no support, no cushion, and zero warmth. She wanted to complain but knew there was no point. Regina was wearing the very same type of shoes and not even a grumble had passed her lips about it either.

They walked through the dark, dark woods for what felt like a good hour. Neither said a word, neither barely uttered a sound except for when the cool breeze picked up and made them shiver. Emma’s feet were sore and cold, and she couldn’t seem to stop chattering. The clothes they both wore were not warm enough and they really hadn’t thought out the plan for something like this to happen either.

“Stop,” Regina said suddenly, her voice a hushed whisper as she grabbed onto Emma’s right arm and pulled her behind a wide tree. “Don’t say a word.”

“What—”

Regina clamped a hand over Emma’s mouth and gave her a warning glare. Emma gave her a glare right back until Regina dropped her hand and they both stood still. Emma listened carefully and for a second she didn’t hear anything, but then she heard an odd noise, pounding on the ground that sounded oddly like horses hooves. She furrowed her brow and she looked at Regina in confusion.

“Why—”

“Quiet,” Regina hissed and she nearly hugged the tree as she peered around the side. Emma could feel the tension in Regina rise in the following seconds as the sound of the hooves grew louder and then began to fade as they moved away.

“Regina?”

“Miss Swan—”

“Where are we, Regina?” Emma demanded, making sure to keep her voice quiet. “You know where we are, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “We’re in the Enchanted Forest.”


	22. Chapter 22

Regina flexed her hands, feeling the reverberating energy of her magic she hadn’t felt for nearly thirty years returning little by little. They had found a secluded area in the woods, far from the path they’d been near before. There was a small fire going thanks to Emma but neither had spoken since Regina had told her where they were.

Regina hadn’t wanted to believe it once they broke through the barrier of the spell, but she knew exactly where they were the moment she had landed on top of Emma. She knew because of the smell lingering in the air and the buzz of magic that was slowly returning to her body and soul. She didn’t want to believe it at first, but the further they walked through the woods, the more she knew exactly where they were.

The question that remained was _when_.

It was hard to tell in the woods in the middle of the night and Regina would need to find a village if she had any hope of figuring out just where and when they were. There was a whole host of problems they had to deal with now, but the fact they had a fire going knocked off freezing half to death for the time being.

Regina was a little worried. Emma had been eerily silent for far too long and in the short period of time that she had known the woman, being silent was not who she was at all. Emma was no-holds-barred outspoken at best and in a way, it challenged Regina in ways no one else had. It almost reminded her of Elizabeth, but each time that thought crossed her mind, she had to remind herself that Emma and Elizabeth were two very different people despite the fact that they looked nearly identical. The more time she spent with Emma, the more she knew for certain that the only traits she shared with her twin sister were their looks.

And the more time she spent with Emma, the more she was aware of the growing attraction she had for the woman. Had they not just spent a handful of days trapped inside of spell her mother cast, she knew that the things she was feeling for Emma would not have manifested in the way that they had.

How had things changed so drastically in a matter of days? How had she lost the malice she had when Emma first strolled into her town with her son and shook her whole life up in a variety of ways? She had been so ready to run the woman out of town by all means necessary, she had even gone to Sidney of all people to help her. She had been so ready to use that potion to make things go back to the way they had been, for Henry to forget, for Emma to forget, hell, even the thought of using it on herself had crossed her mind, albeit very briefly. How did she go from being that person to the one she was in that very moment as they sat on a rotting log with barely half a foot of space between them and her wrestling with the multitude of thoughts racing through her mind that centered around Emma Swan?

Regina turned her attention back to her palms and clenched them tight before uncurling them slowly, feeling that same reverberating energy of her magic slowly and surely returning. She tried the easiest spell she knew how to cast, one she once had been able to cast without a single thought, but only a wisp of smoke rose from the palm of her right hand.

“We can’t stay out here all night,” Emma said, breaking the heavy silence that had settled between them. “Regina?”

The instant Emma placed a hand on her shoulder was when a tiny flame appeared in her palm. Emma gasped and pulled back and as soon as she did, the flame extinguished.

“What the hell was that?”

“Magic.”

“A fireball?”

“That was barely the size of a matchstick flame, dear,” Regina said with a roll of her eyes and she shook out her hand with an exasperated sigh. “Shelter,” she said as she cleared her throat. “We need to find suitable shelter for the night.”

“What, like a castle or something?” Emma asked, tongue in cheek and Regina tried not to laugh at the adorable quirk of Emma’s eyebrow as Emma tried to garner her reaction. “Nothing that isn’t fit for a queen, right, your majesty?”

“I would settle for a cloth tent and a straw bed at the very least,” she said and Emma let out a small, sharp laugh of disbelief. “We are in the Enchanted Forest, dear. The nearest hotel is at least a hundred million miles away in another world.”

“I’d settle for a motel at this point. Even a hostel filled with drifters and what not. Fleas even.”

“That’s a little bit of a stretch, isn’t it?”

“Compared to this?” Emma asked as she stretched out her hands. “We have a fire. We’re wearing…pajama’s at best if that’s what you want to call this,” she said before pointing out her clothes. Emma shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. “Did you know we’d end up here when we went past the whatchamacallit that happened back up at the top of that wall?”

“No.”

“Then how—”

“I do not know, _Emma_ ,” she said, enunciating her name with a pointed look. “This is my mother’s spell. I have no idea what kind of loopholes are attached or what prices there are to pay.”

“Prices?”

“All magic comes with a price, dear.”

“Well, I have some money, Not a whole lot, but—”

“The price of magic is not paid for by money,” Regina snapped and she took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “The price of magic can come at any cost.”

“Like what?”

“Your first born child, for example.”

“Well, that’s out of the question since my first born child was already given away. To you.”

“It could be anything,” Regina said and she paused. Anything was everything and beyond. It always depended on the person who was paying the price of magic and the circumstances surrounding it. Emma gave her a pointed look and she rolled her eyes. “It depends, dear. There is no clear example to give you, per se.”

“What about you?”

“Pardon?”

“You used magic all the time, didn’t you?”

“Not _all_ the time.”

“Point being,” Emma said as she playfully nudged Regina in the arm with her elbow. “You used magic. What price did you pay?”

“More than I can ever describe.”

“Try.”

Regina looked at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. A part of her wanted to talk about the curse, how it hadn’t been the way she had believed it would be, for everyone to live a miserable life without their happy endings and she got hers. She didn’t get hers. Hers had been ripped away long before she had become the Evil Queen and long before she had even met Rumplestiltskin. Her mother was the reason she ended up being who she was and all because her happy ending had been torn from her when she was only nineteen.

It seemed like a lifetime ago. Yet, when she allowed herself to think of it, it still felt as if it had just happened. Her mother. Her own mother had destroyed her life. Her own mother had control of her life up until the moment she had pushed her through that mirror and banished her to Wonderland, and yet even after, in so many small and significant ways that still made her be the way she was. Her mother was still very much in control of her life and that spell that she and Emma had just been trapped in was just another way that her mother had of controlling her life and those attached to it.

There was no way of figuring out the reasons why. Her mother had her own way of thinking, her own rules to follow in life. There were a lot of things her mother had done that even at her worst, she would’ve never gone that far or that complex and deep. All she knew as she sat by the small fire with Emma Swan at her side was one thing that she had to overcome the very purpose beyond why they were where they were and find her way back home.

“I paid my price in many ways,” Regina said quietly, finally answering Emma’s question. “Sometimes I believe I paid the price long before it was due.”

“How?”

Regina shook her head. She didn’t like to talk about Daniel. She didn’t even like to _think_ about him at times either. She definitely didn’t want to talk about him with Emma of all people, not there, not now, not ever.

“We need to find shelter,” Regina said. “It isn’t safe for us to be out in the open all night.”

“What’s out here that we have to worry about?”

“A lot.”

“Like?” Emma pressed. “Wolves and rabbits?”

“Werewolves,” Regina answered. “And other things that come from the darkest of nightmares.”

“Right, okay,” Emma nodded as she got up from the log. “Shelter. Just where exactly are we going to find shelter?”

Regina knew the Enchanted Forest well, she had spent a lot of time traveling through and exploring while searching for her kingdom’s traitors and other foes. She knew that many hunters left small cabin’s throughout the woods and that there had to be one nearby that was hopefully unoccupied. She glanced at the fire and with a wave of her hand, she tried and failed to extinguish it. Though her magic was running through her veins once more, she had very little control. She frowned and was about to try again when Emma scooped up a handful of dirt and threw it over the flames.

Emma didn’t say a word as she finished putting out the fire and followed Regina through the woods. Regina used the silence between them to listen for any predators in the dark, dark woods that could attack them if they were spotted. She also used the silence to focus on the feeling of her magic stirring up inside of her.

It was a frustrating feeling to feel her magic and being unable to use it. She had gotten used to the feeling of it not being there for almost three decades and had always thought that come the day she could feel it again, she would be able to use it just as she always had before. She had never thought it would feel just as it had when she first began to learn magic, but worse because she already knew the feeling of what true power felt like.

Every couple of minutes, Regina held her hands out in front of her, palms outstretched as she coaxed her magic to come out. Every time it felt like the first time she ever used magic, it felt foreign and new, uncontrollable.

“Hey,” Emma said from behind her. “Look.”

“Hmm?”

“Over there,” she said as she placed a hand on Regina’s shoulder and a powerful surge of magic flowed through her body creating a small little shockwave that sent them stumbling back from one another. “What the hell was that? Did you just _zap_ me?”

“I did nothing,” Regina bit back. “It was magic, Emma. Our magic.”

Emma shook out the hand she’d used to touch Regina and looked down at it in bewilderment. “Ou—our magic?”

“Let’s just get down to that cabin, shall we?” Regina asked. “It looks empty.”

Regina walked down the slight hill, careful not to slip on the dirt and grass on the way down. The shift in the air was quick as the chill ran through Regina’s body as she reached the bottom of the hill in the small valley. Fog began to creep over the ground, weaving in and out of the trees and bushes that surrounded the little cabin.

It was completely dark and deserted, at least that was the impression Regina got when she spotted the cobwebs that covered the only window and tiny door. It had to have been months since anyone had been there, but she didn’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet as they weren’t inside and they still weren’t completely safe.

Regina flexed her hands and held them up towards the tiny doorway, willing away the thick mass of cobwebs that covered the wood and the frame. Her magic lay dormant and she knew she needed a bit of a kick start and her only source of that stood just a few feet behind her shivering from the cold and the damp that hung heavy in the air.

“Emma?” Regina asked quietly. “Can you—”

“Sure,” Emma said as she took a step closer. “How do I do this? I don’t even know—”

“All it took was a simple touch before, a simple touch now should be more than enough.”

“Is it going to hurt?”

“No.”

Regina watched Emma tentatively reach out to place her right hand on her shoulder as she had done before. Regina immediately felt that surge of power run through her and the warmth that it brought. It felt wonderful and tasted delicious. She reveled in the feeling just for a moment before she turned her attention back to the cobweb covered door and waved her hands over it. She watched as the cobwebs disappeared into thin air and she felt Emma’s slight grip on her shoulder tighten.

With one last wave of her hand, the door flung open and she turned to smile back at Emma. The smile was returned, albeit briefly before Emma let go of her shoulder and motioned for her to walk inside the dark, empty cabin. Regina stepped inside first and found a small lantern on the table right by the doorway. After fiddling with it, the spark from the switch made a small flame come roaring to life and it dimly illuminated the small space.

“Is it safe?”

“Yes, Emma.”

“Are there any spiders?”

“Not that I can see,” Regina replied and she turned to look at Emma hovering in the doorway. “Are you afraid of spiders, Miss Swan?”

“Normally, no, but after what you said about this place having things not even my worst nightmares—”

“One,” Regina said as she stopped her from continuing, “it is far too cold for any species of spiders to be crawling about.”

“And two?”

“Get in here, Miss Swan, and shut the door behind you.”

In the dim light, she saw Emma roll her eyes before she stepped inside the small cabin and shut the door behind her. She watched Emma shiver and run her hands over her arms as she took a quick look around at the space in the light of the lantern.

“At least there’s a bed,” Emma said as she motioned to the straw mat on the floor. “Somewhat of a bed,” she muttered. “Do you think there is any food in here?”

“This place has been abandoned for quite some time, so I highly doubt that if there is any food that it would be edible.”

“I’m starving.”

“As am I. At first light, we will find the nearest village.”

“And then what?”

“I don’t know,” Regina sighed and she put the lantern down on the table where she had found it. “If we are truly back in the Enchanted Forest, depending on _when_ we may have some difficulty getting anywhere without someone wanting to kill us.”

“Why would—”

“I am— _was_ the Evil Queen,” Regina said dryly. “I was not exactly well loved in this world. Feared, yes. Respected? Only by those who wished not to end up in my dungeon and hung the next day.” She paused and saw the amused smirk dancing over Emma’s lips. “Does that amuse you, Miss Swan?”

“You really were a force to be reckoned with, weren’t you, Regina?”

“You have no idea, dear.”

“Tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“What you were like when you were the Evil Queen.”

“I’m not in the mood for bedtime stories.”

Emma frowned and she walked over to the straw bed and sat down. “So, how are we going to do this?” She asked, her teeth chattering. “Are we going to…share?”

“What else do you propose that we do?” Regina asked, her exhaustion getting to the better of her and making her irritable.

“Regina?”

“What?”

“When is the last time you slept?” Emma asked and she frowned as she stared down at the blonde. “It’s been a few days, hasn’t it?”

“I—”

“Lay down,” Emma ordered as she moved over on the small straw bed that was barely wider than a twin sized mattress. “Come on, Regina. Just lie down and get some rest. You are beyond exhausted—”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yes.”

Regina rolled her eyes and moved to lay on the straw bed beside Emma, careful not to lay too close to her as Emma laid back with her. It was cold inside the cabin, yet not as cold as it was outside, but still cold enough to be uncomfortable. Despite the cold and the fact that Emma’s teeth were chattering, Regina could feel the heat coming off of Emma’s body in waves. Her first instinct was to move closer, to steal some of Emma’s body heat to keep her from getting even colder, but when she looked into Emma’s eyes, she stopped and had to remind herself that Emma was not someone she cuddled with. Emma was still a perfect stranger to her at best.

“You are hot.”

“Uh, not so much, I mean I can’t remember the last time I showered and being in that place, it—”

“Your body heat,” Regina clarified. “You’re hot, yet you are shivering.”

“Oh, I’ve always run a little warm,” Emma shrugged yet the blush on her cheeks told Regina she was a little embarrassed about misreading what she’d said. “Doesn’t mean I don’t get cold.”

Regina shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to get warm, but her clothes were damp and cold, making it impossible for her to gain any speck of heat from her own doing or even from Emma’s warm body near hers. She already had no idea what time it was and she knew she was in for a very long, restless night.

It felt like forever and a day had passed, when it hadn’t been very long at all, and Regina couldn’t stop shivering long enough to fall asleep and let her exhausted body finally get the rest that it desperately needed. She felt Emma shift beside her before she felt Emma tentatively wrap an arm around her middle.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re cold,” Emma whispered, her breath hot on Regina’s ear. “Let me help you warm up, okay?”

“It’s not going to help.”

“Let me try.”

“Emma,” Regina sighed. “Our clothes are too damp. It’s going to be impossible to warm up.”

“Then we’ll take them off.”

“Excuse me? You can’t be serious.”

“I mean—”

“There aren’t even any blankets and there is no fireplace to warm and dry our clothes,” Regina continued. “Why on earth would we—”

“Couldn’t you use your magic to dry them?” Emma asked and she sat up on the straw bed slowly and removed her shirt to reveal a very unflattering bra. “Regina?”

She was cold. She was exhausted. All she wanted was to feel warm and to sleep as long as she could. She raked her eyes over Emma’s chest before sitting up beside her and pulling off her own shirt. She waited until Emma removed her shoes, socks, and pants before following suit and once their clothes were laid out on the wood table, Emma placed a warm hand on her shoulder that allowed her to channel her magic to dry their clothes.

As exhausted as she was, with what little energy she could muster, she conjured a warm blanket for the two of them to share. Regina laid down as Emma pulled the blanket over them and she exhaled sharply as Emma moved to lay closer to her, their bodies barely touching under the heavy blanket. The chill in the air still clung and she shivered, but not just because of the cold, but because of the soft brush of Emma’s arm against hers. She closed her eyes as Emma lightly traced her fingertips along Regina’s clenched fist until Regina let it go with a soft sigh.

“I know I’m the last person you want to be with right now and this is the last place you want to be, but…” Emma trailed off as she intertwined their fingers and gave Regina’s hand a slight squeeze. “I don’t know what I’d do without you right now, Regina.”

“You surely wouldn’t have been stuck in that place or here with me now if it wasn’t for me.”

“This isn’t your fault. Any of it.”

“If you had never come to Storybrooke—”

“I came to Storybrooke because of Henry.”

“It’s my fault he came looking for you. He was angry and I pushed him away.”

“That’s his own doing, Regina,” Emma said quietly and she lightly ran her thumb over Regina’s, it being clear she had no intention of letting go of her hand. “You gave him everything that I couldn’t give him. A home. A family. Unconditional love. You gave him a wonderful life and—”

“You managed just fine with your daughter.”

“Not without a lot of difficulties and sacrifices,” Emma said under her breath. “Sometimes I think I should’ve let her go too, to give her her best chance just like I did with Henry.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” Emma frowned as Regina turned to look at her. “It hasn’t been easy, Regina. Not for her. She’s never had a real home, just places we’ve stayed. Nowhere has ever truly been home for us, you know? I don’t know how to give that to her.”

“Things are different now, or they will be,” Regina said and she wasn’t sure where that glimmer of hope was coming from, but she sensed that Emma needed it in that moment. “You’ve found your family, Emma. You have Elizabeth and—and you have Henry too.”

“He’s yours, Regina. I’m not—I told you I wasn’t going to try and take him back or be in his life or—”

“No,” she said sharply. “I know you won’t take him away from me, but that doesn’t mean you cannot be a part of his life.”

“But you really don’t want that.”

“How do you know what I want, Miss Swan?”

Emma looked at her for a moment before laughing. “I think I figured it out,” she deadpanned. “You only call me that when you’re angry. Angry or annoyed or whatever,” she laughed again. “As much as it grates on my nerves, I’m getting used to it.”

“Wonderful,” Regina said sarcastically and she shook her head before reveling in the warmth that emanated from Emma’s hand into her own. “I do mean it,” she said softly. “About you being in Henry’s life if you wish to. I won’t stop it. I told you as much before you left Storybrooke, remember?”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Why?”

“Because that wasn’t the impression I got when I first met you and even after you told me that, I couldn’t quite believe it.”

“You cannot base anything off of first impressions, dear.”

“What was your first impression of me?”

Regina rolled her eyes and turned her head to look up at the ceiling. “It’s late. I’m exhausted. Can we just try to get some sleep, Miss Swan, and save the heartwarming heart-to-heart chats for when we’re rested and awake?”

“Okay. Good night, Regina.”

Regina let go of Emma’s hand then and sighed heavily. “Good night, Emma.”

She closed her eyes, but sleep didn’t come as easily as she had hoped. While she was admittedly a lot warmer than she’d been before, it wasn’t the cold that was keeping her awake, it was the thoughts that were raging through her mind at an alarming rate, not to mention being so close to Emma in only an unflattering bra and panties was making her libido wake up and come to life.

The attraction she felt for Emma ran deep and she knew it was more than just the fact that she looked like Elizabeth. It had nothing to do with Elizabeth at all even though she had a different kind of attraction to Emma’s twin. With Emma, she could feel that magic, their magic coming to life with a simple touch. With Emma, she could feel something else, something that was rooted so deeply she couldn’t quite grasp it to figure out just what it was. With Emma, it felt entirely different than anything she’d ever felt and while it was terrifying, it also excited her and piqued her curiosity to no end.

And a part of her was screaming, convincing her that this wasn’t who she was, that she didn’t fall to the false hope of whatever it was she was feeling for Emma Swan. She wasn’t the type to pine over someone she couldn’t have and she definitely wasn’t the type to wish for a future she knew she could not have, a future that she didn’t _deserve_ to have, and definitely not a future that had Emma Swan and her adorable little daughter in it either…

She didn’t deserve a happy ending. The curse was supposed to be her happy ending and it proved very quickly that it was anything but. Yet, despite things not quite going the way she had initially planned, she still got Henry out of it all and that was more than enough to keep her happy for the rest of her life and to the end of her days—whenever and however that would come.

Regina willed the tears not to fall as they swelled up in her tired eyes. She blinked them away to no avail and felt a lump rise in her throat as the tears slid down her cheeks. She turned on her side with her back to Emma and wiped away at her tears. She could not show her weakness in front of anyone ever. It wasn’t who she was and she had worked so hard to build up her walls just to let them come crashing down because of a spell her mother had cast that ended up with her being stuck in the Enchanted Forest with her son’s birth mother.

Eventually, Regina gave into the inevitable pull of sleep, welcoming it with a sigh of relief as she began to float into her own realm of dreams.

[X]

Emma couldn’t sleep. She wanted to, but her mind wouldn’t shut off long enough for her to fall asleep as her body so desperately wanted to. Being in a strange place, a strange world, it wasn’t helping and Emma never slept well—or at all—in a place that was unfamiliar and unknown.

The last few days had been unbelievable in every sense of the word and even now as she lay on a straw bed in a small cabin with Regina sleeping soundly beside her, it was hard for her to comprehend all that had happened since she’d been taken.

She worried most about Riley, about where she was and what had happened to her in the time since she was taken. Was she okay? Was she hurt? Was she terrified? It broke her heart and weighed down her soul not knowing what happened to her daughter. There was no way of knowing, no way of finding out while they were stuck in a world apart from their own.

The light from the lantern had nearly burned out and Emma knew it had been hours since they found the little cabin and settled in for the night. Regina wasn’t the only one who hadn’t been sleeping for the past couple of nights, but even as exhausted as she was, sleep just wouldn’t come. She laid there on the small straw bed under the blanket Regina had magically made appear and she looked around at the room as best as she could in what little light was left.

The walls were bare and the cloth that covered the only window looked like it was nothing more than a burlap sack. The floors were dusty and the only chair at the little table by the door looked like it wouldn’t hold up with much more than a child sitting on it either. There was an odd scent in the air, stale almost, but it was something she couldn’t quite put her finger on either. Ever since she woke up after falling from the wall, the scents that lingered in the air were extremely unfamiliar and odd.

She turned on her side and sighed softly as she watched Regina sleep next to her. In the dimming light, she could see the small lines in Regina’s skin around her eyes and the depth of the scar on her lip. She could only see the natural beauty that Regina possessed and she felt a familiar warmth spread throughout her body as she wondered if her lips were as soft as they looked.

They had kissed already, but that night Regina had practically attacked her in the bathroom felt like a lifetime ago. Just thinking of it made all the other thoughts in her mind disappear and the only thing she could think about was kissing Regina again. Kissing her, touching her, letting her hands glide over Regina’s soft skin, mapping out every dip and curve of her body and finding those spots that would make Regina squirm, squeal, and moan.

Emma shook her head but she couldn’t stop her hand from reaching out to lightly caress Regina’s bare shoulder. Her skin was soft against her fingertips, soft and warm. Enticing. Emma licked her lips, careful not to wake Regina just yet, and she continued to stroke her fingers over the curve of her shoulder.

She couldn’t help but wonder how many times her twin sister had touched Regina that way and how many times she’s touched her far more intimately. She frowned as she felt a pang of jealousy surge through her. Beth had been with Regina in every way and Beth knew every inch of the body she just wanted to touch, to explore, to map out with her fingers, lips, and tongue. Beth knew Regina that way and it not only made her jealous, but it made her angry too because _she_ wanted to know those things and _she_ wanted to erase Regina’s memory of what it was like to be with her sister.

It was wrong to think of those things but she couldn’t help it. She had felt something from the moment she first met Regina and now, as she lay there in a cabin in a strange world in the middle of the night, she knew what that something was.

It was attraction, undeniable attraction, and it was more than that. There was a connection and she had felt it in Storybrooke, she had felt it in the institute they’d been trapped in, and she felt it there. Never in her life had she felt something like that with another person and it was a different kind of connection than the one she shared with her daughter, it was stronger, deeper, woven in the threads of her very soul. Maybe it was the magic that lay dormant inside of her that made her feel that way, but maybe it was something else too.

She thought back to what she had seen, that glimpse into the future, and whether it was real or not, she found herself wishing that it was, wishing for that love she had craved all her life. She didn’t even know Regina, but she wanted to. She wanted to know everything about her, the good and the bad things. She wanted to get to know what made the woman tick, how to get under her skin, how to make her laugh and smile. She wanted to know what it was like to share a life with someone like Regina, to have a family together, to have that kiss goodbye in the morning and that kiss when they saw each other again in the evening. She wanted everything and just thinking of what that everything could be had her heart racing and her soul aching.

Emma pulled her hand away and those thoughts rushed out of her head almost immediately. Confused, she hesitated for a second before touching Regina again, and she could feel something pulsating between them and it was stronger than it had been before.

“Do you normally wake people up on purpose?” Regina asked, her voice thick with sleep. “I am trying to rest. It’s impossible to do so with you thinking those things.”

“What?” Emma blinked as she quickly pulled her hand away.

“Please quiet your mind, dear, and try to sleep.”

“How do you know what I am thinking?”

Regina blinked her eyes before she stared at her. “What?”

“You just said—”

“I know what I said,” Regina snapped and Emma could feel the tension rolling off of her in waves and it was making her feel antsy.

“Aren’t you going to tell me—”

“No,” Regina said sharply. “Please go to sleep, Emma.”

Emma shook her head and turned to look up at the ceiling. She sighed loudly and felt Regina tense up beside her. “You know, things were just starting to look up in my life and then Henry showed up at my door. It was my birthday too.”

“Oh?”

“Finally moved into a nice neighborhood, got a better contract with my job, and fuck,” Emma exhaled sharply. “In one week my whole life has changed and let me tell you right now that the last few days have been hell. Beyond hell.”

“I know,” Regina said quietly. “I promise I’ll find a way to get us home. At first light—”

“We’re leaving.

“Yes.”

“And where exactly are we going to go, Regina?”

“I need to find out where we are first and then—”

“Right,” Emma muttered. “How long is it going to take you to get us back home?”

“I’m not certain, but I—”

“It is possible, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Emma,” Regina said with a strain in her voice, one that Emma couldn’t quite read. “Can we please try to sleep a little longer? I can’t do magic if I’m exhausted.”

Emma sighed and didn’t say another word. It was clear that it was too easy for them to fall into an argument, to be snippy and snide with one another. She tried to close her eyes, but as soon as she heard a noise outside the cabin, they opened right back up.

“You keep calling me Emma,” she said after a moment when the noise outside didn’t repeat.

“That is your name, isn’t it?”

“What happened to calling me Miss Swan?”

“You asked me not to.”

“I know, but—”

“I’m _tired_ ,” Regina said and she grabbed onto Emma’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Just go to sleep.”

Emma frowned but it quickly faded as Regina threaded their fingers together and didn’t let go of her hand. The simple touch, like before, had Emma’s mind reeling with thoughts, but after a little while, they quieted down enough to let her give into the inevitable pull of sleep.

[X]

There was nothing quite like the excitement she felt when she first spotted the city lights. The borrowed Mustang zoomed down the interstate smoothly and Beth had to resist the urge to speed up. After the initial excitement passed, she remembered exactly why she’d come there in the first place, and that feeling of excitement turned into anxiety and fear.

How was she going to find Emma in a city she’d never been to before? She had a place to start, but if that failed to give her any leads, she had nothing else.

Beth pulled off the interstate and into a gas station to get directions, a hot cup of coffee, and some snacks. She filled up the tank and headed inside the small store. Only an old man stood behind the counter and had a small TV on that hung on the wall in the corner. His attention was solely on the news that was playing and he barely looked over at Beth until she’d gotten the coffee from the little machine at the back of the store and a couple of bags of chips. She cleared her throat to get the man’s attention and he turned to look at her with tired, bored eyes.

“Gas too?”

“Yes,” she nodded as she put her things on the counter and pulled out her wallet. “I need directions as well. I’m trying—”

“Buy a map,” he said as he pointed to the rack of maps just to her right. “Five dollars.”

“I just need to know how to get to—”

“Buy a map,” the man repeated as he began to ring up her purchases. “Are you buying one or what, lady?”

Beth frowned before she nodded and grabbed a map of the city off of the rack and placed it on the counter beside her tall Styrofoam cup of coffee. She pulled out her wallet from her inner jacket pocket and fished out a couple of bills.

Once she had her change, she carried the bag and her coffee out to the car. She moved the Mustang to a parking spot and opened the map as she sipped the warm coffee, groaning in disgust at how weak it tasted. Using the address she had for Miss Carla’s apartment, she found the street and memorized the route before she drove off.

The one thing she didn’t anticipate was the traffic. She knew it was busier in the cities, but nothing could’ve prepared her for the constant traffic jam as she made her way through the streets of Boston. It took her nearly two hours to get to Miss Carla’s building and almost twenty more minutes just to find a spot to park.

She sat in the car and called Graham to let him know she’d made it. He didn’t answer so she had no choice but to leave a message before she called Mary Margaret. Like with Graham, she didn’t answer either and she sighed before she left her the same message she’d left for Graham. She wiped her hands free of the salt from the chips she’d been eating on her jeans and got out of the car.

The buzzer inside the front entrance had a sign that it was malfunctioning and she had to wait for someone to exit the building before she could get inside. Luckily the woman who came out didn’t ask her who she was or why she was there and she headed up to the apartment, taking the stairs just to stretch out her legs after being in the car for hours on an end.

The door to Miss Carla’s apartment was slightly open when she approached it and she reached for her gun, swearing under her breath when she didn’t feel her holster on her hip and remembered that she had left it behind in Storybrooke.

“Hello?” Beth called out as she tentatively nudged the door open. “Hello? Is anyone here?”

“Who are you?” A man asked from behind her and she jumped away from the open door. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“I—I’m Beth,” she stammered and he raised an eyebrow.

“We spoke on the phone,” he said. “I’m Tom.”

“Hi,” she said as she extended a hand towards him, one that he didn’t take. “I’m—”

“Looking for your sister,” he finished for her. “As I told you and as did my wife, she’s not here.”

“I know that, but I need to—”

“Tom, who is that?” A burly looking woman asked as she approached them from down the hallway. “Tom?”

“This is that woman that called,” he said. “The one looking for her sister.”

“The thief,” she said tightly. “Coming around to see if you can finish the job for her, are ya?”

“No, no, I’m just looking for my sister,” Beth said as she held her hands up in front of her. “Please, I don’t mean to cause any problems. I’m only here to find my sister.”

“Then I suggest ya head over to the police station, file a missing person’s report, though it’ll be useless,” the woman said. “There is a warrant out for her arrest for stealing from Tom’s mother who just passed away.”

“She didn’t—she wouldn’t have—”

“You’re Beth?” Another woman asked and Beth spun around to find the woman had emerged from inside the apartment. “I’m Beatrice,” she said as she exchanged her hand and flashed a warm smile when Beth shook her hand. “I met your sister the other day before Miss Carla passed away.”

“Oh, I see, I—”

“Tom, I’ll take care of it from here. Beth, I think we should talk.”

“About Emma?”

The older woman nodded her head. “Yes, about Emma.”

Beth nodded and shoved her hands into her pocket. “Okay. Uh, I could really use a coffee or something. Should we—”

“Of course,” the woman smiled. “There is an adorable little café about three blocks from here. We can grab a coffee and talk there, yes?” Before Beth could answer, the woman turned to the man and his angry wife. “I will return later to help you with the funeral arrangements. Come, dear, you truly look like you need a very strong cup of coffee.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lack of updates this month and because of that, I decided to do two tonight!

The familiarity of the way the wind blew through the trees, the rich smell of wet earth in the forest, it brought back a lot of memories and it made it feel as if it had just been yesterday since she had last been there. The sun had only just risen, but the forest was still dark and only small streams of early morning sunlight made it through the dense canopy of trees.

Regina shivered as she paced in front of the small, abandoned cabin they’d spent the night in. She had woken up just before sunrise, those first rays of dawn calling to her like a moth to a flame. She had dressed quickly and slipped out without waking Emma because she wasn’t so sure she was ready to face her yet.

Hearing Emma’s thoughts, she had been convinced she was dreaming at the time until she felt Emma touch her a second time. She had tried to ward it off, to ignore it, but it wasn’t just the thoughts that got under her skin, it was the connection that was growing between them because of their magic. It was something she hadn’t felt until they’d been trapped in that spell and more so after they landed in the Enchanted Forest the night before.

Feeling the way she was, feeling the things she was feeling around Emma and because of Emma, it was jarring because it wasn’t her, it wasn’t who she was—at least she had herself convinced of that up until the moment she had walked out the cabin door into the cool morning air.

Regina didn’t even know who she was anymore. She knew who she used to be, the Evil Queen, and she could just faintly remember who she’d been before that, but the woman she was in Storybrooke was neither and she no longer was that woman, not since after Emma Swan had walked into her and her son’s life a week ago.

She had dreamt of the things that had happened since Emma showed up at her door with Henry that night and things that hadn’t. She had dreamt of giving that potion to Emma, sending her off and never to see or hear from her again. To think of that now, she was certain that would’ve ended disastrously for her and Henry would’ve definitely never forgiven her for that. Her dreams had shifted so dramatically from what happened to what might have happened that it all felt as if it blurred together.

“Hey,” Emma said and the sound of her sleep-filled voice made her jump as she hadn’t expected Emma to be awake yet. “Regina?”

“Yes?” Regina said as she turned to look at her. “Are you ready to head out now, Emma?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Emma nodded and she frowned as she placed a hand on her stomach. “Starving, though. Do you think we can find some food or something first? Maybe even just some fresh water or—”

“Yes, of course, let’s go.”

Regina headed in the opposite direction that they had come from the night before and she had barely made it up the hill before Emma was calling out her name.

“Uh, Regina?” Emma panted as she jogged to catch up to her. “Do you actually know where we are going?”

“No,” she replied. “But as with most places in the Enchanted Forest, all roads lead to a village. Eventually.”

“That’s…comforting.”

Regina shook her head and continued on, and the more she walked, the more she could feel that underlying buzz of magic coursing more powerfully through her whole body. She had drained the last of it conjuring up a blanket to keep them warm last night, but it was back and continuing to grow with every minute that passed. It still felt foreign to her as it had been so very long since that magic coursed through her body powerfully and constantly. But with the passing minutes and the power growing inside of her, it was like welcoming an old friend home.

It was close to an hour before Regina spotted a road up ahead and she stopped Emma was continuing on as she heard the faint and familiar sound of hooves hitting the ground fast. She pulled Emma behind a berry bush, the bush thick enough to give them cover, but not too thick that they couldn’t see the road and whoever was approaching fast on horseback.

For once since she first met the woman, Emma didn’t say a word as they huddled behind the berry bush. They exchanged a quick look before looking back at the road. Regina tensed as she saw the familiar crest and uniform of her former knights as three of them rode past on horseback. She waited, expecting to see more, or even her carriage driving past, but as the sounds of the hooves beating on the dirt road faded, nothing and no one else followed.

“We good?”

“Ye—yes.”

“Regina?” Emma looked concerned. Worried. She placed a hand on Regina’s should until Regina turned to look at her. “Are you okay? Who were those people?”

“Members of my armed guard. Knights.”

“But—”

“It shouldn’t be possible, I know,” Regina said and she stood up slowly and shook her head. What she’d thought the night before was becoming a reality. It wasn’t just a matter of where they were, but _when_. “We’re not in what should be the present. I believe we are in the past, though I don’t know how far back we are.”

“How the hell is that even possible?”

“Anything is possible with magic, Emma.”

“So, we like traveled back in time? Is that actually possible?”

“Only by someone very powerful.”

“Someone like your mother?”

“Yes. I suppose so, though I am still uncertain of how powerful she truly was— _is_. I don’t know enough yet to give you a definite answer. Come, we must move. If the armed guard has knights out on patrol, there is no telling how many more there are out here. Whatever or whomever they are looking for…” Regina trailed off and grabbed ahold of Emma’s hand to pull her towards the road. “Let’s just find the nearest village.”

There were many things she needed to figure out, one being her mother and how it was even possible that she was able to arrive in the same world that she and the others had been sent to with the curse. She had banished her mother to Wonderland and there shouldn’t have been a way for her to escape. Unless the woman Emma had told her that claimed to be her mother was an imposter, her mother truly was more powerful than she even knew.

The first thing that needed to be done was to get her magic under control. She couldn’t do anything if she couldn’t get her magic under control and she hoped that since they were in the Enchanted Forest that it would come easily.

“So, if we’re in the past, does that mean if we change one little thing, everything else will change?” Emma asked, breaking the silence after they’d been walking along the road for several minutes.

“Yes,” Regina nodded. “We’ll have to be careful. We can’t risk changing anything if we wish to return home.”

“Isn’t it tempting?”

“How so, dear?”

“To change the past,” Emma said quietly and she shrugged, though Regina didn’t miss the hope she heard in Emma’s voice.

“As tempting as it may be, do you really want to risk the chance that when we return home that your daughter will have never existed?”

“I don’t—I can’t imagine that.”

“And you won’t, we just have to be careful. The fewer people we interact with, the better.”

“That’s going to be hard, isn’t it?”

“Are you willing to rise up to the challenge, Miss Swan?”

Emma subtly rolled her eyes, but she nodded her head. “Yeah, of course. Let’s just get moving, yeah? I’m starving.”

“So I can hear,” Regina chuckled lightly as she faintly heard Emma’s stomach grumbling. “Come, I believe there is a small village just a few miles from here.”

[X]

Beth groggily groaned as she blinked open her eyes. Confusion filled her before fear consumed her. She had no idea where she was or what had happened and the last thing she remembered was agreeing to go for a coffee with the woman she’d just met.

She sat up, realizing she was on a cold, damp cement floor. She wasn’t chained down or tied up, so that was something at least and she lifted a hand to touch the bump she could feel throbbing on the back of her head. She didn’t feel any blood, dried or wet, and sighed in relief, but winced as she pressed her fingertips to the bump a little more and felt the pain thundering through her head.

Slowly she got to her feet and as her eyes further adjusted to the darkness in the room, she could see the faintest of light coming from one side. She reached out and brushed her fingers along the cool, rough steel bars that covered the small hole in the wall.

“Back again, are you?”

“What?” Beth asked the soft, masculine voice she’d just heard. She leaned forward and struggled to see past the shadows. “Who are you?”

“Didn’t we do this before?” The man asked, still out of sight. “We’ve already danced this dance, sweetheart.”

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about. What dance?”

He chuckled bitterly before stepping into Beth’s line of sight. In the dim light, she could see his hair was wild and dirty and his eyes darting around anxiously. He was fidgeting as he came closer to the bars and leaned forward. She faltered as she caught wind of his breath and she exhaled as she turned her head to the side.

“What did she do to you, Emma?”

“I’m not—”

“Did she wipe your memory?”

“No, I—”

“She did, didn’t she? Was it a spell? A potion? Do tell.”

“I’m not Emma,” she said as she grabbed onto the bars. “I am not Emma.”

“Funny, you look exactly like her. Is this a trick?”

“No, it’s not a trick. I am _not_ Emma.”

“I’ll play,” he laughed lightly. “Just who are you if you are not Emma, hmm?”

“My name is Elizabeth,” she said slowly. “Emma is my sister.”

“Twins, are ya?”

“Yes.”

“Huh. Interesting. Interesting indeed. I’m sure she had no idea. Did she?”

“Who?”

“Why the woman who brought you here, of course.”

“Beatrice?”

“Is she still pretending to be her?” The man laughed loudly and then hushed himself, muttering under his breath incoherently as he pushed away from the bars and began to pace. After a moment, he returned to the bars and slammed his hands on them hard and fast, making Beth jump back. “Do you know who she is?”

“No. Who is she?”

“Someone you should’ve stayed far, far away from, Elizabeth.”

“Little late for that now, isn’t it?” She scoffed. “Where are we?”

“No idea,” he said quietly. “All I know is there is no escape. Try if you will, but it is pointless. Believe me. I have tried. I have tried night and day, day and night. Lost track of how long it’s been but I know it’s been forever and a day.”

“Who is she?” Beth asked again. “Tell me.”

“You don’t want to know who I am?”

“I have a feeling you don’t even know who you are anymore.”

“Oh, but I do! She doesn’t let me forget. My mind doesn’t let me forget. Over and over again those memories play. Down the rabbit hole and back again. Over and over. Under and up.”

Beth gulped as she watched the man continue to mutter, his words slurring together the faster and quieter he spoke. Beth backed away from the bars and walked around the small room she was trapped in. There was a door, but no handle on the inside and she continued to look around for anything else other than the door and the hole in the wall that opened up to the room with the crazy man.

“Who are you then?” Beth asked the man as she approached the bars yet again. “What is your name?”

“Jefferson.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Forever and a day.”

Beth sighed heavily. “And this woman? Who is she?”

“Someone you should’ve run from long before she saw you.”

“Who is she, Jefferson?”

“Cora,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain. “Cora. Cora.”

Beth tensed as she faintly heard footsteps coming from behind the door and then a light above her switched on, blinding her temporarily. She stumbled backward into the middle of the small room and furiously blinked her eyes as the door slammed open.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw an unfamiliar woman stroll into the room. Beth took a step back and stared at the petite woman, but she knew from looking into the woman’s eyes that this woman was anything but weak. She could literally feel the power coming off of her, similar to Regina but different at the same time. It made her feel uneasy and weak.

“A twin,” the woman said, her voice low. “How could I have not known there was a twin?”

Beth stared at her and knew it was better to keep her mouth shut than try to speak just yet. She knew because of the way the woman was staring at her with a mix of awe and anger.

“A twin,” she repeated and shook her head. “Impossible and yet, here you are before me. You look exactly like her aside from that scar on your chin. Tell me, dear, however is this possible?”

“If you don’t know how it is possible to have twins then you’re not as smart as you think, lady.”

The woman laughed, but not out of amusement. “I am far smarter than you know,” she said lowly. “But a twin. Nothing was mentioned about a twin. There is only one savior and it is not you.”

“It’s Emma.”

“Yes, yes she is the savior. The _only_ one.”

“Where is she?”

“Somewhere no one will ever find her, dear.”

“What the hell did you do to her?”

The woman’s lips curled into a tight smile and it made Beth cringe as a spark of anger started to churn inside of her. “I sent her away, of course, somewhere where she will never be able to break the dark curse my dear daughter cast so many years ago.”

“So, you are Regina’s mother.”

“Yes, dear, I am,” she said with a nod, though the smile faded from her lips instantly. “And how do you know her?”

“We’re…friends,” Beth replied, hesitating slightly. They weren’t friends, not really, but there was no way in hell she was going to tell Regina’s mother that she’d been having an affair with her daughter for many years. “She’s also my boss in Storybrooke.”

“Ah.”

“More than that,” the man behind the wall said. “Don’t you wonder, hmm?”

“Shut up, Jefferson.”

Beth watched the woman closely and she knew that what Jefferson had said had scratched its way under her skin. She knew of only stories Regina had told her of her mother, how powerful she’d been, how abusive mentally and physically she had been. Cora had a hold over Regina for most of her life until Regina had her banished to Wonderland.

How was she here now? Beth wasn’t sure and sure wasn’t going to ask out of fear she’d anger the woman even more. Had she found a way to escape? Had Regina only believed her mother to be banished to Wonderland all these years when that hadn’t been the case at all?

Magic wasn’t common in the world, Regina had told her as much for many years. But Beth could feel it now. She could feel it just seeping into her pores as the woman took a few steps towards her, closing the distance they had between them. It was magic she felt, all right, and despite never having sensed it, she just _knew_.

“You,” Cora said as she reached out to grab a hold of Beth’s chin tightly. “You are special too, aren’t you?”

“No.”

“Yes,” she drawled out slowly. “You are. I can feel it. Can’t you feel it, dear?”

“Feel what?”

“Your magic stirring inside of you. It’s only just waking up. Slowly, yet surely.”

Beth shook her head. “You got it all wrong, lady, I don’t—”

“You are a twin, the twin of the savior,” she said and she tightened her grip on Beth’s chin. “You may not have ended up as the savior, but you still have magic, dear. Very powerful magic.”

Beth shook her head again and winced as the hand on her chin tightened like a vice grip. She gulped and tried to pull away, but she could barely move. The very instant she tried to lift her hands was the moment she felt a heaviness sweep over her entire body.

“You were never supposed to exist,” Cora said and her face was close to Beth’s, too close. “Snow White and her peasant prince were only supposed to have one, as it was prophesied many years ago. One, not twins, but one, a savior born to a great destiny.”

“Well, I’m standing right here, lady, so I’m pretty sure I do exist,” Beth muttered. “Not all things that are prophesied come true you know.”

“The Imp was wrong,” Cora muttered under her breath before letting go of Beth’s chin. “That’s a first.”

“Unless he wanted you to believe there was only one.”

Cora stared hard at Beth and with a wave of her hand, the heaviness that had swept over her body moments before had suddenly lifted and disappeared. A different force filled her and she was walking towards the door despite her trying to stop her legs from moving. Once at the door, the woman grabbed ahold of her wrist and pulled her out of the room she’d been locked inside.

Without a word, the woman dragged her towards a set of concrete stairs and forced her up each one until they walked through another door and into another room with boards on the windows blocking the light from coming in from outside.

“Sit.”

Beth couldn’t do anything but sit in the hard wooden chair that sat in the middle of the room. She tried to move, but her body just wouldn’t cooperate, and as much as it filled her with fear, it also filled her with undiluted anger she was having a hard time trying to control too.

“The Imp, what do you know?”

“I don’t—”

“Rumplestiltskin.”

“Who?”

A roar of anger escaped from the petite woman as she rushed over to where Beth sat. She flinched as the woman came short of slapping her hard across the face. She watched her take a few deep breaths before she composed herself.

“Rumplestiltskin,” she repeated. “Surely you know who that is?”

“Another fairytale character?” Beth offered with a shrug.

“No, you idiot.” Cora was seething, but for the most part, she was keeping control. “He is in Storybrooke.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you lady, but there is no—”

“I suppose he’d have another identity with the curse in place, after all,” Cora said, her voice calmer than before. “You couldn’t miss him, dear, as he’s a very odd character indeed. I believe he would be about this tall,” she said as she held up a hand. “Shoulder length hair is likely. Before he became who he was in the Enchanted Forest, he had a cane.”

“Gold,” Beth muttered under her breath. “You’re talking about Mr. Gold.”

“How charming,” Cora laughed. “For a man who once could spin straw into gold. So, you know who he is, dear. Do tell me what you know of this Mr. Gold.”

“He’s got a lot of land holdings in Storybrooke,” Beth replied. “He owns most of the town.”

“Anything else?”

“I don’t know him, not personally. He keeps to himself unless he’s collecting what is owed to him at the end of every month.”

“You know something else.”

“I don’t know anything!” Beth yelled. “You call him the Imp, but I don’t know him as anything other than Mr. Gold.”

“You said that maybe he wanted me to believe there was only one child born to Snow White and her prince. Why?”

“Hell if I know, lady!” Beth said through gritted teeth. “Look, the only reason I know anything is because Regina told me.”

“She told you about the curse?”

“Enough of it anyway,” she shrugged. “I don’t know about anything else, hell I didn’t even know I had a sister or that I was adopted until last week.”

“Did Regina know?”

“I don’t know! She never—she didn’t really speak with me after Emma came to town.”

“I thought you said you were friends?”

“We’re not.”

Cora narrowed her eyes before her eyebrows rose slowly in surprise. “Lovers,” she said flatly. “Is that correct?”

“No, I wouldn’t say—no, we’re not.”

“Not anymore,” Cora said quietly. “How surprising. I would have never guessed that my Regina would ever take on a female lover, especially not someone…lesser than her.”

“Lesser?” Beth shook her head. “I am not lesser, lady. If we were all in the Enchanted Forest, you’d be the one beneath me. After all, I am a princess, aren’t I? Born into royalty—”

“You were not raised a princess and neither was the Savior. You are beneath my daughter completely. You will never—”

“Never be good enough?” Beth offered. “For her or for you?”

“Shut up!”

Beth smirked because she already knew the answer to that question as soon as the look of surprise had appeared on the woman’s face. She smirked knowing that when Regina found out about anything she’d said to her mother that Regina would be furious. She wasn’t afraid of her. She’d never been afraid of her and that was something that would never happen.

The thing was, Regina wasn’t herself and nobody knew why she was unconscious. Beth was starting to get a gut feeling that whatever happened to Regina was because of her mother.

“What did you do to her?” Beth asked. “Regina. What did you do to her?”

“I did what should have been done a very long time ago,” Cora replied. “I put her where she belongs.”

“Where?”

“Somewhere that you nor anyone else can ever bring her back from,” she said with a cruel laugh. “Your sister, the Savior, she’s there too.”

“Why? What did Emma do?”

“It’s not what she’s done, it is what she is supposed to end up doing. I cannot let her fulfill her destiny.”

“Why?”

“For reasons that you will never understand, dear.”

“I think you’d be surprised how much I understand, lady.”

Beth tried to move from the chair again but she was tethered to the spot. But, what magic was holding her there was weakening, little by little as she could feel it almost releasing its hold on her.

“Where are they?”

“I told you—”

“Where?” Beth yelled and the chair shook violently as she struggled to get out of it. “Where the hell are they?”

“In a world created by a spell, not here nor there. They are nowhere, stuck in time, trapped with no way out as magic does not exist there nor can it ever.”

“Like what Regina did with Storybrooke?”

“Worse. Far, far worse. And you’re about to join them, dear.”

[X]

They were sitting under the shade of a tree on the edge of a grassy field. Silence filled the air and only a slight breeze rippled through the trees. Emma ate from the fruit basket they had stolen while they had been in the village, but it wasn’t near enough to fill her growling stomach.

“So,” Emma said after she finished her third apple. “Have you figured out when we are?”

“Not exactly,” Regina said with a small shake of her head. “It was hard to tell when we were in the village. It’s not as if we can pick up a newspaper and check the date or anything.”

Regina was irritated. Emma had avoided saying much at all to her since they left the village. There was something else bothering her, but Emma didn’t want to push. They hardly knew each other and they were nothing close to being friends. They were just stuck in a very unfortunate situation with the same goal in mind, to get home to their children.

“How else can we figure it out?”

“We will have to speak with someone.”

“But you said—”

“I know what I said, but there is nothing I can do until we find out when we are.”

“Is that going to help you get us home?”

“I don’t know, Emma. I don’t know. I need some time to figure it out and your questions aren’t helping any.”

Emma slumped against the trunk of the tree and fished out another apple from the nearly empty basket. Regina hadn’t eaten anything other than a fruit Emma didn’t recognize and she nudged Regina’s shoulder with hers before handing the apple over.

“Thank you.”

“We’re gonna need some real food soon,” Emma said quietly as she placed a hand on her stomach. “I’m—”

“Starving, I know,” Regina sighed. “I am as well, but we have a much bigger problem on our hands right now.”

“Well yeah, but—”

“That,” Regina said as she pointed across the field. “We have to run, Emma! Now!”

Emma jumped up in a panic, not sure what she was looking for until she saw it. A wolf. A _huge_ wolf. Regina grabbed onto Emma’s hand and they took off running into the dense woods. Emma tried to run faster, pulling Regina along as they dodged trees and bushes. She wanted to look back to see if they were still being chased, but she didn’t dare slow down just to look.

Regina suddenly pulled her to the side and down an embankment that led into tall, thick grass. Not once did they let go of one another’s hand until Regina pulled Emma down into a cluster of large boulders and placed a hand over her mouth hard.

It was a struggle to stay quiet and to try to breathe normally when her lungs were bursting beneath her ribs. Slowly, Regina eased her hand away, but the look in her eyes warned Emma to remain still and quiet as she could. Emma peered through a gap in the boulders and she could see the large wolf slowly approaching, sniffing out the air noisily as it got closer.

Regina shook her head slowly and Emma could feel a strange energy coming off of her. It wasn’t a lot, but just enough that she could feel it where their shoulders touched. Regina reached for her hand again in the same moment that Emma reached for hers and in an instant, with a strong, deep pull Emma felt everywhere at once, they were suddenly back in the cabin they had spent the night in and not a few feet away from a hungry, massive wolf.

“What—what just happened?” Emma gasped as she let go of Regina’s hand and placed both of them over her racing heart.

“Magic,” Regina said with a roll of her eyes. “You teleported us back here.”

“How did I do that?”

“Magic, dear. Keep up.”

“But I—I don’t know _how_ to do that.”

“You do,” Regina said and she shook her head. “Magic is natural for those born with it, as you are. It is instinctual whether you know it or not. Your magic feeds off of emotions and in the moment, your fear took over and here we are.”

“But how?”

“Magic—”

“Don’t you need to know a spell to do that?” Emma asked and Regina nodded. “But I don’t—”

“It’s instinctual, Miss Swan. Whether you know or not, it is in you. We’re safe from the werewolf for now, but it has our scent and there is no telling how long it’ll be before it catches up to us again. I highly suggest we leave this place and figure out when in time we are so that I can figure out how the hell I’m going to get us back home.”

Emma felt a twinge of irritation at the grating voice Regina was speaking to her in. They were both tired and both desperately wanting nothing more than to go home. Her irritation gave way to something else, something softer as she saw the look of despair in Regina’s eyes that Regina was trying so hard to hide. Emma took a step towards her, ready to say something—just what she didn’t know, but Regina held up a hand and backed away.

“Don’t,” she warned. “Let’s just get out of here.”

“Regina—”

“Don’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma pressed on. “I didn’t mean to…poof us back here. What would’ve happened if I didn’t? We’d be wolf lunch right about now.”

“Werewolf,” Regina corrected with a light scoff. “What was chasing us was a werewolf. Far more dangerous than the wolves you’re familiar with back home.”

Emma couldn’t help but laugh and after a moment, Regina joined in, allowing a deep and throaty chuckle to slip out freely. It felt surreal to be laughing when they had no idea what was in store for them next, but for Emma, her whole life had been that way and she was getting the feeling that Regina’s had been too much of the same for too long that she welcomed this change.

Even as terrifying as it was.

“What is the difference between a wolf and a werewolf?”

“A wolf will attack and may kill you, but a werewolf will do one of two things. Eat you or turn you into one of them,” Regina responded. “I really prefer neither of those options.”

“Right. Me either. So,” Emma said as she exhaled slowly. “Now what, Regina? Do we go in the other direction?”

“Why would we do that?”

“Because we were just being chased by a werewolf—oh!” Emma gasped as they were suddenly in the middle of a gravel road and she could feel the raindrops soaking through her clothes almost instantly. “Damn, you can do that too?”

“Of course I can,” Regina replied with a roll of her eyes. “Come on,” she said as she reached for Emma’s hand as the rain picked up. “Let’s go. We’re near a small village where I know someone who may just help us.”

“May?”

“It depends on—”

“When we are, got it,” Emma nodded. “So, any ideas yet on when we are?”

“In the past, obviously.”

“How far back do you think?”

“We’ll,” Regina sighed as she pointed to a small little cabin down the road. “We’re about to find out. Shall we?”

They hurried down the road together, neither letting go of the other’s hand. Emma could feel Regina hesitate as they approached the door and she gave her hand a little encouraging squeeze and waited for Regina to knock on the moss covered wood door. Regina let go of Emma’s hand as soon as the door flung open and the scent of odd spices filled Emma’s nostrils as warmth whooshed out from inside of the cabin.

“Who are you?” An old woman asked as she hobbled into the open door. “What are you doing here?”

“Calais,” Regina said softly. “How long has it been?”

“Too long is never long enough, dearie,” the old woman cackled lightly and she reached out for Regina and Emma stepped forward. “And who is this, your majesty? Your savior?”

“Yes, she is the Savior.”

“Oh!” The woman exclaimed as she grabbed onto both of Emma’s forearms. “ _You_ are the Savior?” She asked as she peered up at her and Emma could smell something strong like brandy on the old woman’s breath. “The actual Savior?”

“That would be me.”

“Come, come in,” the woman said as she pulled Emma inside and Emma looked helplessly back at Regina who followed them inside with some hesitation. “Now, why don’t you two get out of those wet and strange looking clothes and I’ll heat up some chimera stew, yes?”

“Calais, as much as we appreciate your hospitality—”

“Regina, you have always been a stubborn one, haven’t you?” The woman laughed obnoxiously. “Go on and get changed and I will heat up the stew. Then, once you two have warmed up and are fed, you can tell me why you showed up on my doorstep with the Savior.”

Regina smiled, though it was strained and Emma had no choice but to follow her behind some dusty curtains that sectioned off the small room. Regina pulled them shut as Emma took a look around the cluttered little area they were standing in. Whatever spices were hanging in the air were making her mouth water and her stomach growl. She licked her lips slowly as Regina made sure the curtains were shut tight before she walked up to her.

“I know when we are.”

“Just like that?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “About a month’s time before the curse was cast.”

“A month before—”

“Yes, give or take a few days. I came to see this woman several times and the last time I saw her, she was dead.”

“She looks pretty alive to me, Regina.”

“I know. She is. For now.”

“What—how did she die?”

“Nobody knew and nobody bothered to find out,” Regina whispered. “All I know is she was dead. That’s how I know when we are, Emma.”

Emma watched Regina curiously. She wondered if the same things were going through Regina’s mind in that moment. If they were before the curse was cast, surely they could stop it, couldn’t they? They could change _everything_ and for a second it was all that Emma could think of, could wish for, before she thought that she would’ve never had Henry or Riley if things had been different. She wouldn’t even be who she is now if things had been different and she just couldn’t imagine herself or her life any other way.

They couldn’t change the past without an uncertain future ahead of them and as tempting as it was, they had to let things run their course and find their way home.

“This woman, is she going to be able to help us?”

“I’m hoping so, yes,” Regina nodded and she began to pull off her wet clothes as she turned her back to Emma. “She is powerful.”

“More than you and your mother?”

“In some ways, yes.”

“Not so much in others?”

“Her power is unhinged and unpredictable. Her knowledge is vast and great. She may have the answers we’re looking for, answers that will help us get home.”

Emma was listening, but she was also staring at the smooth expanse of Regina bare back. She was transfixed as Regina stripped out of all but the underwear she had on and she grabbed a blank looking white dress that was slung over the back of a chair. Emma’s lips felt suddenly parched as Regina pulled the dress on quickly before turning around to face her.

“Well?”

“Huh?”

“I said, are you just going to stand there or are you going to get into something dry?” Regina asked and she flung an almost identical dress at Emma with an annoyed scoff. Emma barely caught the rough garment and she frowned deeply.

“Regina?”

“What?”

“Have you ever thought about—”

“Yes, but we’re not doing that.”

“Oh.”

“There are too many things that could go wrong,” Regina sighed and she laid out her wet clothes by the small fireplace on the far wall. “Despite everything, I cannot and will not imagine my life without my son, Emma. Changing things here and now will have severe consequences and Henry will—Henry may cease to exist, as is the very real possibility that your daughter may as well. I know changing the past is tempting, but with the stakes that are involved, I don’t believe them to be worth it.”

Emma nodded solemnly as she turned her back to Regina and slowly stripped out of her rain-drenched clothes, leaving only the scratchy and bland underwear on. The dress was scratchy and rough, the fabric unlike anything she’d ever felt before and it had an odd, distinct smell to it, one that reminded her of the foster family she once stayed with where the teenaged son smoked pot all the time.

A loud bang made them both jump and when the curtains were pulled back and the old woman cackled, Emma just glanced over at Regina with a “what the hell” expression on her face.

“I know how to help you both,” the old woman said. “But first, let’s eat.”


	24. Chapter 24

She woke with a ridiculous pounding in her head that felt like tiny little soldiers drilling into her brain and turning it to mush. Her hands went to her head and she grasped at her hair, pulling at it until she felt her roots burning, which provided a small sense of relief to the grating thrashing in her head.

Her right side hurt like hell as she turned over onto her back. The cold concrete beneath her seeped through her damp clothes and gave her a chill she couldn’t shake off.

“She didn’t do it,” the man beyond the wall said gravelly. “She couldn’t do it. Her powers are fading.”

“What?”

“She didn’t send you there like she said she would,” he said as he banged on the bars that separated them. “She’s angry. So very, very angry. Better watch out, girlie, because the next time she comes down here it won’t be pretty.”

“Like the rest of the time has been?” Beth chuckled bitterly.

“You want to survive this, you better watch yourself.”

Beth rolled her eyes. She could handle herself around Cora, especially if the old woman’s powers were fading. She rubbed at the side of her head to ease the pain and frowned as she sat up. Her whole body was aching something fierce and all she wanted was to get the hell out of there, find Emma, and go home. She couldn’t do much being locked up in a damp room, though, and she’d need to figure out how to get Cora to let her out again.

Fat chance of that happening and she knew it. She knew it because of how badly her head hurt and for the simple fact that she was locked up once again with only the crazy man beyond the wall to keep her company.

She wasn’t sure how much time had gone by after a while, but she paced continuously as a thousand and one different thoughts passed through her mind. She played on different scenarios of what she would do when and if Cora returned for her. She could take the old woman easily. She had strength and endurance, a perk of being a deputy for the last nearly ten years of her life.

And she had magic, or so she was just told, but she didn’t know whether to believe it since she never once felt anything close to magic and she wasn’t even sure what it’d feel like even if she did.

Losing concept of time was maddening. It made her wonder if that is how everyone in Storybrooke would feel when the curse was finally broken. There would be a lot of angry people, upset people, even people with nothing but vengeance on their mind. When that happened, Beth knew Regina was in trouble and she knew she’d be one of the few that would actually protect the former Evil Queen. Her and Henry, maybe Graham, but that would be it.

“How does someone break a curse?” Beth wondered aloud and she heard the man beyond the wall begin to snicker. “What’s so funny?”

“You still believe the curse will be broken?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“And just whom is going to break it? Emma? In case you have yet to realize that she is unavailable. One Savior to break the curse short of the order.”

“What if I tried?” Beth challenged and he started to snicker again. “What?”

“You are not the Savior and only the Savior can break the curse. Were you dropped on your head as a baby?”

“Probably,” Beth shrugged. “But I am Emma’s twin. Why is it just one of us is the Savior and the other isn’t?”

“You’re asking me?” He scoffed. “Like I know. All I know is what I know and that is next to nothing. I’ve been here for nearly thirty years. Do you think I’ve seen a speck of sunlight or tasted fresh air in all that time? Not once.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you being kept prisoner?”

“Didn’t we already have this conversation?”

“You still didn’t answer my question.”

“Why don’t you ask her?” He drawled out slowly and Beth jumped when she heard a loud metallic bang. “You know if she doesn’t kill you first.”

“There will be no killing, Jefferson,” Cora said as she materialized in the room and the lights above flickered on. “Do go back to doing whatever it is you do.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

Cora stalked over to Beth and gave her a once over. It sent shivers down Beth’s spine and she failed to hide the fear that came out as she stared at the old woman. She swallowed thickly as she stood her ground and tried to fight her fear.

“If there is one thing in life that I hate,” Cora started as she peered up at Beth. “It is failure.”

Beth didn’t say a word. She was smart enough not to. She just stood there and waited, waited for whatever it was that Cora came down there for, for her to do it and be gone again.

“Failure is weakness,” Cora continued and she began to pace with a small shake of her head. “Just as love is weakness. I have been thinking a lot about you and my daughter,” she sighed as she turned to look back at Beth. “And I wonder if she’s ever loved you.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Regina has never loved me, Cora,” Beth said and it made her feel odd to feel such truth in those words. “What we had, it wasn’t love at all. You don’t have to worry about anything, Regina doesn’t love anyone who isn’t her son.”

“Is that right?”

Beth swallowed thickly. “Yes.”

“Regina is unable to have children.”

“She adopted him.”

“I see,” Cora said and she shook her head as she laughed incredulously. “Adopted him, did she? She must have been so very desperate for someone to love her unconditionally.”

“Desperate or not, lady, everyone deserves that kind of love in whatever form it comes.”

“Optimistic woman you are, hmm?” Cora asked and it was the chilling tone of her voice that made Beth shudder.

“Maybe,” Beth shrugged. “Listen, lady, I am getting real pissed off because you’re holding me here against my will. And that guy too. Don’t I at least deserve to know why?”

“I’ve told you why.”

“You told me why you put my sister in a world she can’t escape from. To stop her from fulfilling her destiny. What about me? I’m not the Savior. I just want to go home.”

“I cannot risk it, dear,” Cora said and Beth frowned. “You may not be the Savior, at least not the one prophesized to break the curse that my dearest daughter cast, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t a liability either.”

“A liability for what, lady?”

“You are what I believe is part of a loophole.”

“What?”

“The curse cannot be broken. As much as I loathe a world in which magic is nearly nonexistent, I don’t want it to be unleashed here either.”

“What is the loophole?” Beth asked and the old woman just shook her head before turning on her heels. “What is the loophole?”

Cora quickly exited the room and the door slammed shut behind her. Beth growled in frustration and she began to pace the floor, glancing up at the light every once in a while as she expected it to be shut off at any time like it had been before. When Cora didn’t return or shut off the light, she walked over to the hole in the wall and sat down with her back against the cool, damp wall.

“Do you know what she was talking about?” Beth asked the man on the other side. When there was no response, she banged on the bars that separated them. “Hey!”

“Yes,” he said as he approached the hole. “I know what she’s talking about.”

“And?”

“There is a book, one the Savior found when she came back from Storybrooke. I heard that old witch talking about it.”

“What is so damn special about this book?”

“It tells a story of the future, of the now, not so much of the past anymore, but that is irrelevant.”

“So it predicts the future?”

“Yes.”

“I’m guessing that she doesn’t like what it’s predicted, huh?”

“You and I would not be here if she did.”

“What do you think this book predicts?”

“Something Cora doesn’t want to happen.”

“Obviously,” Beth said with a roll of her eyes. “Why does she care so much about all of this?”

“She doesn’t believe in love, in true love. It’s—”

“Weakness, I know. Just as failure is weakness to her too. So, this book? Does she know who Regina’s true love is?”

“Possibly.”

“Why would she—”

“You don’t know, do you?” Jefferson asked and he started to laugh. “A long, long time ago, before you ever existed or were thought into existence, Regina had a true love that Cora killed to keep her from living a life she didn’t want for her. Selfishness and greed are what has made this woman into who she is now. She had been grooming Regina, see, to become the Queen one day and nothing, absolutely nothing was going to get in the way to stop it from happening.”

“How do you know this?”

“I just do.”

Beth sighed and closed her eyes. Whether or not this man was telling the truth or he was clearly delusional, after meeting Regina’s mother, she had no doubt in her mind that the woman had gone as far as killing her true love many, many years ago.

She needed to figure out the real reason this woman was keeping her captive. It just felt like there was more to it than her just being afraid of the predictions of the future that some book held. She needed to find out just what was predicted, too. Yet, there was nothing she could do being locked in a room in a basement somewhere with a man who had clearly lost his mind many years ago.

And if it was all just because of the things that were written in the book, then she had to find a way to get the hell out of there and get back home, but not before finding a way to bring Emma and Regina home with her too.

“She’s afraid, you know.”

“Of what?” Beth asked and the man just started to chuckle as he stayed out of sight. “Of the book?”

“Of the future. Of the destiny that’s been foretold for eons.”

“What is she so afraid of?”

“That’s something I’ve been trying to figure out all this time.”

Beth sighed. “Well, Jefferson, if we’re gonna get out of here, we’re gonna have to figure out what that something is.”

[X]

Regina stared into the fire that crackled and burned in the small hearth and shivered as a chill ran through her body. She glanced over at Emma briefly before turning her attention back to the burning fire, finding herself mesmerized by the way the flames licked at the logs.

The old witch had given them a small feast, food which Emma devoured in no time and Regina ended up giving up the rest of her chimera stew to Emma as she wasn’t a fan of some of the odd spices the witch had used in it. Now that they had finished eating, Regina had taken a seat by the fire while Emma sat on a bench by the window listening to the old witch as she talked about how she first discovered she had the ability to use magic.

Regina sighed and joined Emma on the bench. The old witch just smiled warmly at her and let out a long exhale. Regina had been ready to hear how this witch could help them get home since before they ate and as time went on, the more impatient Regina was becoming.

“How is it that you can help us, Calais?” Regina asked.

“Impatient, are you?” She laughed lightly. “I was just telling Emma about my first experience with magic.”

“I heard,” Regina said politely. “But how does that help us?”

“Well, I am sure you have explained how True Love’s Kiss works,” she said and Regina didn’t say a word. “Like with any curse, any spell, there is one proven way to break it.”

“Wait, this isn’t a curse, is it?” Emma asked.

“My mother banished us to that institution, it was definitely a curse, dear,” Regina sighed. “And coming here was a part of it.”

“And that will work? We’ll go home? Just like that?”

“It’ll help break the barrier I sense that is going to prevent you from leaving,” Calais said quietly and she reached out for one of Emma’s hands and one of Regina’s. “This is a very powerful curse, one that was never meant to be broken. Your mother did this?”

“Yes.”

“She’s quite powerful, isn’t she?”

“Unfortunately she is, but I know you are too—.”

“I wish there was another way to help you both, but even I am not that strong to break this for you. I apologize.”

“So, True Love’s Kiss,” Regina said and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Who is the lucky couple that will break this curse for us, Calais?”

“That I cannot tell you as I do not know, but you will succeed.”

“How do you know that?” Emma asked.

“Because I have seen the book that predicts the future, I have seen the pages that had yet to be written. Do you have it?”

“No,” Emma frowned. “Regina’s mother captured me when I found it and—”

“Did you read it?”

“Some of it. There was a letter—”

“From Carla,” the old witch finished for her. “I know. She was my sister. Anyway, in this book, in the pages that had yet to be written, it told of a future that has yet to happen, a future that begins right here.”

“You’ve read it,” Regina said. “Tell us what it said.”

“It’s been a very long time since I’ve read that book. All I remember was that the Savior and the Queen would return to this land because of a curse that had been cast upon both, a curse that would be broken by True Love’s Kiss.”

“That was it?” Emma scoffed. “That doesn’t help us at all.”

“More would have been written since I last saw those pages.”

“If they weren’t written, how did you see them?”

“Visions,” Regina answered for the old witch. “She saw them in visions. Isn’t that right, Calais?”

“Yes, that is correct,” she said with a small, sad smile. “Shortly before you arrived, I had another vision.”

“Let me guess, you saw us coming?” Emma asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She didn’t believe this woman, not completely, but Regina did.

“I did, yes, but I saw more things, things I shouldn’t speak of.”

“Why the hell not?” Emma asked and Regina could feel her anger bubbling up inside of her, ready to burst. “Let me guess, we can’t know what our future is because then everything will change.”

“Not necessarily,” Calais said softly. “There is still quite a lot you both have yet to come to realize and unfortunately, it needs to take its natural course.”

“Can you at least tell us where we should be when this True Love’s Kiss happens?” Regina asked. “Can’t you give us something to go on?”

“Urgently want to return home, do you?”

“Yes.”

“There is a village,” Calais said. “Just to the west of here. It’s quite a walk, but if you leave first thing in the morning—”

“Now,” Regina said tightly. “We need to leave right now.”

“It’s a half day walk and the forest is not safe at night.”

“It is never safe no matter the time of day.”

“Right you are,” she chuckled.

“Can’t we just, poof there or something?” Emma asked.

“You could, but it’s a risk. Regina’s powers aren’t quite up to par and yours?” Calais stared at Emma with a raised eyebrow. “You’ve got a long way to go yet before you can master your craft.”

“Looks like we’re walking then,” Emma sighed. “First thing in the morning?”

Regina frowned. “Yes. First thing,” she said softly. “Calais—”

“You are more than welcome to stay, though there isn’t much room in this old house of mine.”

“We’ll be fine,” Regina said. “I—we appreciate your hospitality. Thank you.”

“If I were you, Regina, I’d cast a cloaking spell. If anyone sees you, they’ll think you’re _you_.”

“Yes, of course,” Regina nodded, knowing what the old witch was getting at even though Emma didn’t quite get it according to the genuinely confused look on her face. “And Emma?”

“I can taste her magic,” Calais whispered and it almost sounded like a purr. “I have a charm she can wear to mask it. There aren’t many in this realm who have what she has.”

“What do I have? What can you taste? My magic?” Emma looked appalled. “What’s so different about my magic than yours and Regina’s?”

“You were born out of True Love,” Regina explained. “Which is why you are also the Savior.”

“But Beth—”

“She too has that very same magic,” Regina said and she looked at the old witch who just nodded her head to confirm it. “But Beth is not the Savior, Emma. You are. That makes you—”

“Different.”

“I was going to say unique, special even,” Regina said and Emma just scoffed. “You haven’t even begun to fulfill your destiny as the Savior, Emma. All of this? This isn’t supposed to be happening, but my mother interfered and now we have to deal with this before we can go back home.”

“If your mother didn’t cast us into the curse, what would’ve happened, Regina? Would I have just gone back to Boston with Riley and never seen or talked to you and Henry again?”

“That was the ideal plan at first,” Regina said and she looked over at the old witch, grateful the woman had stood up and walked away to give them some privacy. “Then I got to know you and your precious daughter.”

“And?”

“You know that I want you to be a part of Henry’s life, however you are willing to be, and despite how much I don’t want things to change, the reality is, things have been changing for a long time now and I failed to see it until you came into my—our life.”

“It was that kiss when you thought I was Beth, wasn’t it?”

“No.”

Emma scoffed. “Come on, Regina, that kiss was hot. I couldn’t shake that from my mind. I still can’t.”

“Listen, Miss Swan, despite what did happen that night, we are nothing more than acquaintances at best. We are not friends. We are not co-parents.”

“Got it, loud and clear, but that doesn’t explain—”

“Last night?” Regina asked and she shook her head. “Nothing happened last night.”

“We talked, we—we connected.”

“Yes, and your point?”

“Doesn’t that make us a little more than acquaintances now?”

“What, are you saying that makes us friends?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“I think you may have hit your head when we landed in this realm. You’re delusional, dear.”

Regina could feel hope surging inside of her, hope she didn’t want to have, not with Emma, not with anyone. Hope got her nowhere and nothing but disappointment. She tried not to think back to the thoughts she’d had earlier, the thoughts about how she felt about Emma and the thoughts on how her feelings for the woman were progressing further the more time that they spent with one another trapped in that realm and so desperate to return home.

“Is it really that horrible to think that we could become friends?” Emma asked quietly and from the tone of her voice, she sounded a little bit hurt. “I know it’s a stretch, impossible even, and that if it weren’t for Henry we would’ve never met, but…you said last night and again that you want me to be a part of his life and that means that I’d be a part of yours too. Wouldn’t it be easier if we were friends, Regina?”

“This is absolutely ridiculous.”

“Horrible or ridiculous?”

“Just ridiculous,” Regina sighed. “How about we save this discussion for when we are back home, safe and sound, hmm?”

The old witch cleared her throat from where she stood on the other side of the room. “You two can sleep by the fire,” she said as she pointed to what looked like a similar mat to what they’d slept on together the night before. “It does get quite chilly in here at night.”

They both just nodded and walked over to the mat that was laid out on the floor. After saying goodnight to the old witch, Regina watched her disappear beyond the curtains and, with magic as she felt it flicker through the air, the candles in the room were put out and all they had was the light from the fire.

This mat was a bit larger than the one they shared the night before, but Regina was on the brink of magicking up her own just to give her and Emma space. She needed that space because no matter what she tried to convince herself, she could feel that she was falling in love with this woman and she couldn’t stop those feelings from manifesting and growing deeply.

Regina watched Emma lay down on the straw mat and she shook her head as she grabbed a quilt off of a chair and stood by Emma’s feet.

“We’re leaving first thing, right?” Emma asked as Regina reluctantly settled down beside her.

“Yes, unless you somehow manage to _poof_ us gods knows where in the middle of the night.”

“Do you think Calais will feed us breakfast?”

“She’s done more than enough for us, don’t you think? Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, dear.”

“Right,” Emma chuckled lightly. “But she did feed us though.”

“Can we just settle down for the night, please? We have a very long journey ahead of us and I would very much like to make it home tomorrow. I don’t know how much longer I can stand being trapped here.”

“Right,” Emma said quietly. “Good night, Regina.”

“Good night,” Regina replied and she tried to relax as she laid back on the straw mat.

Her mind was racing as she lay next to Emma and she nearly jumped when Emma moved to place the quilt over both of their bodies. After Emma gave her a strange look, Regina turned onto her right side with her back to Emma. The longer she laid there listening to the crackling and popping of the fire, to Emma’s soft breathing, the more her thoughts became louder in her head and new questions started to surface because of their conversation.

When they got out of this curse, what would happen? Would they go back to their normal, everyday lives with the only difference being that Emma would come to Storybrooke with Riley to visit them once in a while? Would she and Henry make trips to Boston to visit them? Or would their lives be completely different?

If they broke this curse, what of the one in Storybrooke? Would that one be broken as well or would it take something more, something else to break the dark curse? As much as Regina knew about magic, there was still a whole lot more that she didn’t know, things that would forever remain a mystery.

What about her mother? Would they find her or would she find them first? Then there was the matter of Baelfire. Would he still be trapped in the world where he could never leave the institution? Would he be released from it when they broke this curse? How many others were trapped there just as they had been?

What would happen if she faced her mother again? Just as a lot of things would forever remain a mystery, she may never know how her mother escaped Wonderland and came to the very same realm she had banished the Enchanted Forest to twenty-eight years ago. Would her mother become a threat, a problem, more so than she already was and would she have to find a way to take care of it, of her again just as she had before?

Regina groaned softly as she turned to bury her face into her arm. She was growing restless as she tried to quiet her mind. After a few minutes, she felt Emma tossing and turning next to her and she sighed as she rolled onto her back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Not exactly comfortable.”

“It’s a straw mat,” Regina said and she couldn’t help but chuckle as Emma rolled her eyes. “Let’s hope by this time tomorrow we are in our own beds again, hmm?”

“God, I hope so,” Emma groaned. “Regina?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, just restless,” Regina sighed. “I have a lot on my mind at the moment.”

“Do you want to talk about—”

“No.”

“Okay,” Emma frowned. “Good night. Again.”

“Yes, good night.”

[X]

Emma followed Regina down the dirt road they’d been walking along for the better part of an hour. Why they didn’t just transport themselves with magic was still a question on Emma’s mind. There was also the fact that from what the old witch had told her, anything was possible with magic and she had to wonder why Regina didn’t just magic a couple of horses for them to use for their journey.

She’d had a restless night because Regina did. All through the night Regina tossed and turned. Every once in a while, she’d sigh heavily, sounding annoyed and frustrated all at once. And every time she did that, Emma wanted to ask her if she wanted to talk about whatever it was that was on her mind and bothering her, but she bit her tongue and tried to get back to sleep, tried to quiet her own mind.

Calais had spoken with her early that morning when Emma had stepped outside for some fresh air and to give Regina an hour on the straw mat to herself. When the old witch joined her outside with a cup of hot tea for both of them, she knew that Emma wanted to talk about the things that were going through her mind.

_“You’re restless, more than usual, aren’t you?”_

_“Very much,” Emma nodded. “I just can’t help but feel like something is going to happen, something good maybe.”_

_“You will return home today,” Calais said with a small smile. “There is something else, isn’t there?”_

_“Yeah, but I can’t seem to figure it out.”_

_“You are a savior, Emma, and you have always had that light inside of you along with that voice that feeling. You feel so much of the world around you, here in the now and of what is to come.”_

_“There are a lot of things that I’ve felt before that have never turned out to be something good.”_

_“This is different,” Calais said quietly and she cast a glance back inside the open door. “You know what it is, don’t you?”_

_“It involves Regina, that much I know.”_

_“Yes. You and Regina.”_

_“There is no—”_

_“Not yet there isn’t,” she chuckled. “But there will be.”_

_“How do you know that?”_

_“I can see a lot of things,” she replied. “But this? This was foretold in that book. In some ways, it is probably a good thing that you didn’t get to read too much of it. Knowing what your future holds can—”_

_“Throw you off and that’s how everything changes, doesn’t it?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“So, you know who is going to break this curse, don’t you?”_

_“I do.”_

_“I thought you told us that it was going to take True Love’s Kiss to break the curse?”_

_“And that is exactly what will happen,” Calais said._

_“But who—”_

_“You will know when the time is right, Emma. Just trust your instincts, trust that feeling inside of you, the one you feel right now. You mustn’t fear it. You must embrace it.”_

_“It’s us, isn’t it?” Emma asked. “We’re the ones who have to break this curse, aren’t we?”_

_“Is that what you feel, Emma?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“And why do you feel as if it is impossible?”_

_“It’s—I mean, Regina isn’t in love with me. We barely know each other and—”_

_“That does not matter,” Calais said. “Love comes when you least expect it. Love just…happens. I think you’ll soon realize you are not just the savior that will break the curse in Storybrooke and the one you are in now, but you are her savior too.”_

_“What does Regina need saving from?”_

_“You’ll see…”_

That conversation had been rolling around in her mind for hours. What did she really mean by the things she said, especially about her being Regina’s savior? All she wanted to do was tell Regina what Calais had told her, but even just thinking back to it, she barely believed it either.

Again, she thought about her growing feelings for Regina and then thought back to that moment when she experienced the future. Whether that moment had been real or not, she longed for it endlessly. If her future was with Regina then she had to figure out just how Regina felt about her and if the feeling was mutual.

Reading Regina was hard as she was open one moment and closed off the next. Regina had barely said a word since she had woken up, at least to Emma. She spoke with Calais over tea, a conversation that was hushed and one that Emma hadn’t heard as she was too busy eating the leftovers from the night before. But she had heard Regina tell Calais of her ultimate fate, one that would come soon, and the old witch had told her she had known for a long time just when her end would come.

“How much further is this village?” Emma asked, breaking the heavy silence that had settled between them since they had started on their journey. “Regina?”

“It is far, but we’re a little closer now.”

“Can we stop for a bit?” Emma asked as she glanced up at the sky and at the sunlight that poked its way through the thick canopy of leaves above. “It’s hot and my feet hurt.”

“Do you ever not complain about something?”

Emma scoffed and stopped walking. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for Regina to stop too. When she didn’t, Emma rolled her eyes and jogged to catch up to her.

“Look, I want to get home just as much as you do, but can’t we just take a break for a few minutes?” Emma asked and she reached out to touch Regina’s shoulder and she felt that same jolt she’d felt before. This time it felt a little different. It felt comforting even if it made Regina tense up instantly. “Please? Just five minutes.”

“Fine,” Regina sighed heavily. “But no more breaks after that.”

“Fine.”

Emma walked over to a tree stump at the side of the road and sat down. She slipped her feet out of the shoes she’d been wearing since the institution and sighed in relief as she wiggled her sore toes. Regina just pulled a face before she walked to the opposite side of the road to sit on a fallen log. It wasn’t long before she too slipped off her shoes and stretched out her feet with an exasperated sigh.

“I was thinking,” Regina said and she paused as she looked over at Emma. “Perhaps we should try transporting by magic.”

“I thought Calais said it wasn’t a good idea?”

“I know it’s not a good idea either, but my magic isn’t strong enough. Yours, on the other hand…”

“I didn’t even know I did it the last time!”

“I can walk you through it, dear.”

“Right,” Emma said and she pulled on her shoes and ignored the way her toes throbbed. She shook out her hands as she rose to her feet. “Let’s go this then. Let’s get this show on the road.”

“Thought you needed a break, Miss Swan?” Regina asked, her tone teasing as she slipped her shoes back on and joined Emma in the middle of the road. “All right, dear, the easiest part is to imagine where you want to be.”

“The easiest part?” Emma blinked. “I don’t even know what this village looks like. How can I imagine it?”

Regina sighed and grabbed onto Emma’s hands. “Close your eyes,” she said. “I would like to try something.”

“What?” Emma asked and Regina gave her an incredulous look. “Fine. Eyes closed, see?”

Emma held her breath as she reveled in how soft and warm Regina’s hands were in her own. At first, she didn’t know what to think about what was going on, but then she started to feel a buzzing energy rippling through her body and then the faintest images of a small village began to take shape in her mind. It wasn’t just images she could see, it was sounds she could hear and smells, though faint, she could sense it all.

It felt a little overwhelming and at the same time, it was exhilarating. It was powerful. _Magical_.

“Emma?”

It was not only Regina’s voice but also the soft stroking of her thumb against hers that pulled Emma out of the trance she’d fallen into. She blinked as she licked her lips, the world and Regina coming back into complete focus slowly.

“Hmm?”

“Did you see?”

“Yes.”

“I gathered,” Regina whispered and she let go of Emma’s left hand but held tight onto her right. “We’re here.”

“Here? Where?”

“The village.”

Emma turned to take in her surroundings. No longer were they on the dirt road in the middle of nowhere, but in the middle of the very same village Regina had shown her within her mind.

“How—”

“Magic, dear.”

“I know that,” Emma groaned. “But how is that even possible? Nothing like that should be possible.”

“We don’t have time to discuss the many elements of magic at the moment. We have to find the ones that will help us break this curse and we must hurry.”

Emma just stared at Regina for a moment before pulling her hand free. There was no way in hell she could tell her that they’d come all that way for nothing. That the people they were looking for were the two of them.

If she believed the old witch—and a part of her did.

She just wasn’t so sure she believed it herself yet. There was a lot that had happened over the last couple of days, even the last week, that made everything else so hard to believe. Magic, curses, spells, time travel to another realm. True love and a True Love’s Kiss that could break any spell and curse. True love that came in the form of the woman who adopted her son, a woman she barely knew and yet also knew at the same time that there was something deeper there between them, something she longed to figure out.

No one in the village looked at them twice as Regina led the way down the narrow, busy street. It was the spell, the potion the old witch had given to them to mask who they were, to appear as another to everyone else but each other.

Regina led them to a pub on a corner not too far from where they appeared and she stopped short for a second before pulling Emma into the alleyway.

“Regina, what—”

“Do be quiet.”

“Regina—”

“You really don’t understand the concept of quiet, do you?”

Emma frowned, but she didn’t say another word as they approached a dirty window and peered through. Inside the pub, it was packed and Emma wasn’t sure what had stolen Regina’s attention, but she tried to follow her line of sight to no avail.

“What are we looking at?” Emma whispered after several minutes passed.

“There,” Regina whispered almost excitedly as she pointed out two men looking awfully close and cozy. The way they were dressed, they looked to be important. Knights, Emma guessed. “Maybe those two are the ones who will help us.”

“You think so?”

“Do you see anyone else?”

“I see a lot of people, Regina.”

“Anyone else who looks madly and hopelessly in love as those two do? I don’t think so.”

Emma looked at Regina with a frown. She was truly oblivious, wasn’t she? The more time Emma spent with her, the more she started to see just who she was, who she _really_ was.

Regina Mills was a woman lost and a woman torn between who she once was and who she could be. She was stubborn and at the same time fighting that hope for something better for reasons Emma wanted to know one day. She had this feeling that this woman needed to know that having hope for something more, something better, was not completely lost at all.


	25. 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for taking forever to update. Things got busy and when things get busy, I don't tend to write much. Hoping to change that! Hopefully those reading are still sticking around, it'll be worth it to get through all this slow burn in the end, (before the end) I promise!

Henry drummed his fingers on the table inside the diner as Mary Margaret desperately tried to get the waitress’ attention. Henry just frowned and turned to Riley that sat beside him coloring on the backside of the kids’ menu with the few crayons the waitress had given her.

“Do you want to play tic-tac-toe?” Henry asked and Riley just shrugged, barely paying him any attention. “Do you know how to play?”

“Of course I do, silly. Mommy taught me.”

“Do you want to play?”

“Nope.”

Henry sighed and played with the straw wrapper from the straw he had in his chocolate milkshake—something his mother very rarely ever let him order when they ate at Granny’s. He felt a little bit guilty for indulging, but Mary Margaret had insisted he get anything that he wanted, anything at all.

It had been five days since he’d watched his mother collapse. Five days without any answers or explanations and he was tired of not knowing what was really going on. Nobody was of any help and Beth still hadn’t called since she left for Boston to look for Emma.

He had nobody he could talk to about what may just really be going on. Archie had tried to talk to him that morning, but after he’d taken his book from him, Henry was very reluctant to speak with him at all anymore. With Beth gone, Henry had nobody. He couldn’t even trust Sheriff Graham.

He knew he had to try and keep trying to find another way to break the curse. Breaking it was his only chance right now at saving his mother’s and his aunt. The next obvious choice to him was having Mary Margaret figure out just who she truly was and wake up her Prince Charming with True Love’s Kiss.

Easier said than done.

Everyone who believed him was gone from Storybrooke. There was absolutely nothing he could do. He couldn’t even go to Boston to look for Beth to find out if she’d found Emma. He’d spent some time at the hospital with his mother before they ended up at the diner, but there had been no change to her condition and the doctors still couldn’t figure out how to help her.

“Something bothering you, Henry?”

Henry looked over at Mary Margaret and sighed. “Just worried about my mom,” he said. “And Beth. And Emma.”

“I’m sure Beth will call soon.”

“What if she doesn’t?”

Mary Margaret frowned. “She will, Henry. I’m sure she just got caught up. Maybe she lost her phone or—”

“What if something bad has happened to her?”

“Henry—”

“I have a bad feeling, Mary Margaret.”

“You’re just worried because we haven’t heard from her yet. Tell you what, as soon as we get back to the loft, I’ll try calling her cell again.”

“Her cell has been off for five days, Mary Margaret.”

“Then I’m sure she just lost it and that would explain why we haven’t heard from her.”

_Or something bad really did happen to her_ , Henry thought. He just nodded, deciding not to press the issue any further with Mary Margaret.

“I was thinking since it is such a nice day, why don’t the three of us go to the park?” Mary Margaret suggested after they had sat there quietly for a few minutes. “Henry?”

“I think Riley would like that,” he said with a small nod and Riley looked up at the sound of her name. “Do you want to go to the park?”

“Yeah!”

Henry smiled and reached out to ruffle Riley’s hair like he’d seen Emma do a few times. Now all he had to do was figure out how to get away from Mary Margaret long enough to pay Mr. Gold a visit. He’d been afraid of going to the man, but at this point, he had no other option. He needed some answers and he was hoping that Mr. Gold would have them.

After they ate and Mary Margaret paid the bill, the three of them walked down to the park by the harbor. There were a few other kids there, which surprised Henry because nobody ever went there other than him. Riley was just as fascinated with the park as she’d been the first time they went, running around as fast as she could, climbing and jumping off the structure and nearly giving Mary Margaret a heart attack every time she fell face first into the sand.

As luck would have it, one of the teachers from the school came by to talk to Mary Margaret and he used that as a chance to slip away without being seen. He ran until he was out of sight and stopped to catch his breath before he headed towards Mr. Gold’s shop on Main Street.

Nobody took a second look at him as he walked down the street alone. When he walked into the pawn shop and the bell tinkled overhead, Mr. Gold was nowhere to be seen.

“Hello?” Henry called out as he approached the counter with the register. “Mr. Gold?”

“What can I do for you, Henry?” The old man asked as he hobbled out of the back room. “Are you here alone?”

“Yeah,” he nodded and he pulled at his scarf to loosen it. “I need to ask you a couple of questions.”

“Oh?” He looked surprised. “About what, my dear boy?”

“I think you know.”

Mr. Gold studied him for a moment before nodding his head. “Come with me, we’ll talk in the back. That is if you don’t mind?”

Henry shook his head and followed the old man into the back room which was ten times more cluttered than the rest of the shop. As fascinated as Henry was with the many things he could see, he kept his focus on why he was really there. He had to muster up the courage to begin since speaking to Mr. Gold ever was daunting.

“What can I assist you with, Henry Mills?”

“I uh—I have a few questions,” he stammered. “And I think you already know what I’m going to ask you.”

“You want to know about the dark curse?”

“Not just that,” he said and Mr. Gold looked at him curiously. “I want to know how else can it be broken if Emma isn’t here to do it. Is there a way?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that specific question, but I do know the answer to the one you haven’t yet asked.”

Henry frowned as a slight chill ran through his body. “I don’t—”

“You want to know about your mother’s fate,” he said. “And of Elizabeth too.”

“Ye—yeah. Do you know what happened to them?”

“Elizabeth is being held somewhere not far from here, in an old farm house just outside of town.”

“But she went to Boston to look for Emma!”

“She was in Boston, but someone took her the same way that they took Emma,” Mr. Gold said evenly. “Your mother and your birth mother, however, are in a place neither you or I can go.”

“They’re there in this place together?”

“Yes.”

“But—”

“It is another curse, my dear boy, and rather than explain things further that will make things far more confusing to you. This curse was cast by a powerful witch, someone your mother Regina knows rather personally. As for the reason why this curse was cast, I do not know, but I can tell you it is because of a book similar to the one you once possessed, the one that made you a believer.”

“Another book?”

“One the foretells the future, not the past as yours does.”

“Cool,” Henry said under his breath. “So, a witch cast my mom and Emma into this curse because of that book?”

“Because of what is foretold,” Mr. Gold clarified. “I, however, don’t know what this book says, but whatever it is, Henry, it is something that made this witch cast this curse to try and prevent it all from coming true.”

“Who is this witch?”

“Regina’s mother,” he said with a look of distaste.

“Cora?” Henry asked. “That’s her name, isn’t it?”

“Yes, how do you know?”

“My mom told me about her when she told me everything.”

“I see. What else has your mother told you? Did she tell you about me? About who I am?”

“Who are you?”

Mr. Gold laughed and placed a hand on Henry’s shoulder. “I think you know exactly who I am, but not who else I am either. One day, my dear boy, you will know.”

“Know what?”

“That wasn’t what you came here to ask me.”

“But I—”

“Soon, the curse that has trapped your mother’s in another realm will break and they will return.”

“How do you know that?”

“Your mother will find a way,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone and he smiled as he gave Henry’s shoulder a light squeeze. “Your mother was one of my best students. I have no doubt she’ll find herself out of this one in due time. How long has it been now? Five days?”

“Yeah.”

“Then don’t fret, Henry, your mother will return home soon.”

Henry frowned as Mr. Gold backed away and sat down at the table in the middle of the back room. “You remembered who you were, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“When Emma Swan came to town, of course.”

“Has anyone else—”

“No,” he said without looking up from the clock he was tinkering with on the table in front of him. “Not yet, at least.”

“But they will?”

“Oh yes,” he chuckled as he glanced up at Henry. “All curses are meant to be broken in time, this is just one of them.”

“One of—what do you mean?”

“Go on now, boy, I’m very busy. I’m sure Mary Margaret is fretting at the moment since you’re supposed to be under her care.”

Henry hurried out of the shop and out onto the street. He found it suspicious that Mr. Gold knew as much as he did. If he knew, why didn’t he say anything? Or was it true what his mother said that to get anything from Rumplestiltskin, it always came with a price? He never mentioned a price, but Henry was smart enough to know there was one. He just needed to figure out what that price was before his mom, Emma, and Beth came back.

[X]

Emma sat at the wood table in the tavern and sipped the warm wine Regina had ordered for them. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t horrible either, and it soothed her tense body just a little. Regina, on the other hand, had barely touched her wine and she was watching the two knights like a hawk.

“Staring at them is not going to do anything, Regina.”

“What did I tell you earlier?” Regina hissed. “You are not to use my name when other people can hear!”

“Sorry,” Emma muttered into the mug before she took another sip of the warm wine. “Look, they don’t look like they are going anywhere right now. Why don’t we—”

“What? Wander off? Explore the village? Miss our only chance in getting out of this godforsaken place?”

“I was going to say just relax, have a bit to drink and try—”

“Shut up.”

“Fine.”

“I mean it, Miss Swan,” Regina said with a warning in her voice. “Do not test me right now.”

“Sorry.”

Regina clenched her fists and turned to look at the two knights she was convinced were the two idiots in love, as she called them, that would break this curse they were under and send them home. In the last two hours since they walked into the pub, all Emma wanted to do was tell her that she was wrong, that the two idiots in love that would break the curse were the two of them.

Emma downed the last of the warm wine and slammed the mug down on the table causing Regina to jump. Regina, as tense as she was, recovered with a small cough and a shake of her head before she reached for her mug and sipped her own wine.

She could not stop thinking about what the old witch had told her and she could not stop thinking about what if it were true, what if she and Regina were the ones who would break this very curse with their very own True Love’s Kiss? What would happen then?

There were a lot of what if’s and Emma had not been the type to hold on to hope when hope always came crashing down one way or another. She had a feeling Regina would deny it no matter what her feelings truly were and Emma was ready for that, for the rejection, for anything.

“Emma,” Regina said as she grabbed onto Emma’s hand. “I think they’re leaving. We must follow them.”

“Regina—”

“Come!”

Emma sighed and allowed Regina to drag her out of the pub and after the two knights that were stumbling out onto the street. In the time since they had arrived there in the village, the sun had set and darkness settled. The darkness would give them a little bit of cover and the amount of alcohol the two men had drunk would steal their attention away from the fact that they were being followed.

Regina hadn’t let go of Emma’s hand and after following the two men for a few minutes, Emma casually intertwined their fingers and it caused Regina to steal a glance back at her curiously. Despite Regina’s reaction, Regina didn’t let go and Emma smiled inwardly as they continued down the village street and rounded a corner down a dark, narrow alleyway.

Emma stopped short when she saw the men suddenly locked in a close embrace. One backed the other up against a wall and they were kissing ferociously. She felt Regina tighten her hold on her hand and wait with bated breath for something—anything to happen and after five long minutes, she turned to Emma with a scowl.

“This isn’t working,” she said tightly. “We were wrong about these two, weren’t we?”

“Regina—”

“Now what are we going to do?”

“Maybe they aren’t the ones,” Emma shrugged. “Maybe we’re just not in the right place.”

“The right place…the right place! We should be where we were when we first came here!”

“Regina—” Emma gasped as she felt herself being pulled, but not by Regina, but by magic. “Warn me next time you’re gonna do that, will you?”

Emma took a look around at their new surroundings and sure enough, they were right back where they started. Regina let go of Emma’s hand suddenly and started to pace along the ground, muttering under her breath as she held her hands out in front of her as if she were trying to feel for something that wasn’t there. Regina’s desperation to leave that realm was all too clear, more than it had been before, so much that Emma could feel it now.

Even in the darkness, Emma could see the dark clouds beginning to roll in overhead. She shivered as the wind picked up and she approached Regina, tentatively reaching out to place a hand gently on her shoulder to get her to stop pacing. Her own desperation was overwhelming and she couldn’t keep the truth from Regina much longer. She had to try something.

“We’re stuck here, Emma.”

“We can’t be—”

“We are!” Regina exclaimed as she stared at her with a look of desperation and hopelessness. “We’re stuck here, Emma. There is no way home. We’re never going home!”

“I refuse to believe that.”

“You heard what the witch said,” Regina said to her with a shake of her head as the rain began to fall from the dark clouds in the sky. “In order to create the magic we need to get home, we need to find two idiots in love and have them break this curse with true love’s kiss. Those two idiots we found obviously aren’t—”

“Regina?” Emma stopped her as she moved to stand in front of her and shook her head. “Just stop talking. Let me try something.”

“What could you possibly try now?”

“This.”

For the first time since they had been trapped in the spell that had them in the asylum and then there in the Enchanted Forest, they kissed. Emma pulled Regina in as close as she could and crushed their lips together, the initial meeting of lips awkward and brash, but as thunder crashed off in the distance, she felt Regina melt into her arms and the kiss softened and deepened ever so slowly.

It felt different than it had before and it felt unlike anything Emma had ever felt in her life. It felt like magic, it felt like _home_ , it felt like warmth, and most of all, it felt like _love_. Real and true love.

She smiled as she opened her eyes just a little to see that Regina was doing the same, but neither backed away from the kiss just yet, both shaking as the world around them began to spin. She could feel Regina slipping out of her hold, slipping away, and she did all she could to hold onto her as the world continued to spin wildly around them.

“Regina—”

“Don’t let go, Emma!” She cried out, but her voice quickly faded into darkness and Emma landed on hard concrete with a thud.

“Regina?”

It was cold, dark, and damp. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, panic filled her when she realized exactly where she was. She rushed to the door and banged on it loudly, furious that her moment had been ripped away from her. From Regina.

“Hey!” Emma yelled. “Hey, you stupid bitch! Let me out of here! I know you can hear me, Cora! We broke your fucking spell!”

Emma breathed heavily as nothing but silence followed. She banged hard on the door once more before pushing back, feeling deflated and angry and every single emotion she could possibly feel in that moment including the fact that she was now confused as hell.

“That is impossible,” Cora said as she suddenly appeared in the small room in front of Emma. “Absolutely impossible!”

“Where is Regina? Why am I back here?”

“Back?” Cora snickered. “Dear, you never left.”

“But—”

“It was indeed a very powerful spell,” Cora continued and with a flick of her wrist, she had Emma pinned up against the furthest wall. “One nobody, not even someone as powerful as my own daughter could break. Tell me, dear, how did you do it?”

“True Love’s Kiss.”

“Excuse me?”

“True—”

“With whom?”

“Regina,” Emma said as a smile curled over her lips while she watched the anger flood through Cora like a monsoon in India. “Regina broke the spell, Cora. Bet you didn’t see that coming, huh?”

“That is absolutely impossible! You lie!” Cora yelled and Emma fought the magic that gripped her tight and tried to squeeze the last of her life from her. “Her true love is long dead! I know because I killed him!”

“Then you were wrong about him,” Emma said tightly and she gasped as the magic that held her suddenly released her. “Maybe he was her true love, maybe he wasn’t. All I know is that when I kissed her, the spell broke and I ended up right back here in this shithole. With you.”

“That is impossible.”

“Why?” Emma asked and she pushed off the wall, a small burst of excitement in her little victory filling her. “Why is it impossible? Because of who I am? Who I am supposed to be?”

“Dead, Savior.”

[X]

“Henry!” Mary Margaret exclaimed as she rushed over to him and hugged him tightly. “Where have you been?”

“Exploring.”

“Expl—never mind,” she sighed. “The hospital just called. Your mom is awake. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“She’s awake?”

“Yes!” She exclaimed gleefully. “Let’s go, I am sure she will want to see you.”

“She’s awake?”

“Yes, Henry, she’s awake.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, the doctor wouldn’t tell me anything, but the main thing is she is awake again.”

Henry wasn’t sure what to think, but he was relieved, to say the least. If his mom was awake, that meant she and Emma had broken the curse they’d been trapped in for days. If his mom was back, it meant Emma was too, but he had no idea where Emma was. Was she in the same place as Beth, the same place that Mr. Gold told him? Was Emma truly in Storybrooke just like Beth was when they both were supposed to be in Boston?

After they managed to talk Riley into leaving the park—and of course she didn’t want to—they were on their way to the hospital in Mary Margaret’s Jeep. Henry had so many questions, ones he knew only his mother could answer now, and the anticipation of seeing her and hearing about everything was almost too much to handle.

When they arrived at the hospital, they were led to a small private waiting room and told by the nurse to wait for Dr. Whale to come in to talk to them. Mary Margaret looked both worried and anxious as she tried to get Riley to settle down on one of the hard leather chairs in the room. Henry, on the other hand, was standing by the window with his mind racing a mile a minute.

Questions after questions barreled through his mind all at once. He just wanted to know why everything was happening, for what reason, and why was Beth a part of it all? Was it because she was Emma’s twin? And why did Cora send Riley into town to be found instead of taking her too? Did his grandmother have a soft spot for children?

“Henry?” Mary Margaret said in the tone that reminded him of the way she used to speak to him to get his attention whenever he was daydreaming in class. “Henry, can you sit with Riley for a minute? I’m going to run down to talk to a nurse who is a friend of mine. She can tell us more about what is happening by the time Dr. Whale comes to see us.”

“Okay.”

Henry walked over to sit in the chair beside Riley. He had spent a lot of time with his little sister—half-sister but who was really counting? He adored Riley and it was easy for him to be around her, which was unlike the way it had been for him his whole life with anyone. Riley was a part of him, in a way, and he felt protective of his little sister, especially now with his mom being awake and knowing that everything was going to change again.

“Hey,” Henry said and he smiled at Riley. “I got some dice in my bag,” he said as he gave his knapsack a little shake. “Do you want to learn a new game?”

“No.”

“It’s easy.”

“I want my mommy,” Riley pouted, her eyes filling fast with tears. “Where is my mommy, Henry?”

“I’m sure she’ll come back to get you soon, Riles.”

“No call me that, only Mommy can call me that.”

“Sorry,” Henry frowned. “But I’m your big brother,” he said and that caught Riley’s attention. “Can’t I call you that too?”

“Why?”

“Cos we’re family, Riley.”

“Yeah?”

“We have the same mommy,” Henry explained. “Emma.”

“That’s a funny name.”

“Why?”

“Cos,” she said as she tried to imitate him and she burst into giggles. “You’re funny, Henry.”

“Yeah?”

Riley laughed. “Very funny. Like Mommy.”

“You’re funny too.”

Her laughter died and she looked up at Henry. “When is my mommy coming back, Henry?”

“I don’t know,” he frowned and he got up from the chair, wishing for Mary Margaret to come back now since he wasn’t sure how to avoid that very question.

He walked over to the door of the small waiting room and poked his head out into the hallway. He spotted Mary Margaret just down at the nurses’ station talking to her friend. Henry ducked back into the waiting room and sat back down beside Riley.

“Is your mommy okay?”

“Yeah,” Henry smiled down at her. “She’s awake now.”

“Henry?” Mary Margaret said quietly as she stood in the doorway. “You can go and see her now, but they’re only letting you in right now.”

“Okay.”

“Come with me, Riley,” she said as she held out a hand. “I want you to come and meet some of my friends.”

Henry was the first to walk out of the waiting room and he was approached by the same nurse Mary Margaret had just been speaking to. The woman led him down a long corridor and into his mother’s private room where he was surprised to see her sitting up and sipping from a plastic cup of water.

“Henry!” Regina exclaimed and she tried to get out of the bed, but the nurse was right at her side. “Please, let me see my son.”

“Madam Mayor, you’ve been unconscious for five days,” the nurse said gently. “You need to stay in bed until Dr. Whale has run some tests.”

“I’m fine!”

“Mom,” Henry smiled as he walked over to her bedside and he hoisted himself up so he could hug her tight. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Henry,” she whispered into his hair as she held onto him for a long moment. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Mom,” he said and she let him go to cup his face and she just stared at him. “Mary Margaret has been taking care of us.”

“Us?”

“Riley and me,” Henry clarified. “The day that you came here, Beth found Riley out in the rain all alone. We don’t know where Emma is and Beth, she went to Boston to find her and we haven’t heard from her since she left.”

“Beth went to Boston?”

“To find Emma.”

Regina frowned. “She’s not in Boston,” she said and Henry nodded. “You know that? How do you know that, Henry?”

“I talked to Mr. Gold today,” he said quietly and Regina frowned even deeper. “I wanted some answers, Mom. I didn’t think you’d ever wake up again.”

“What did Mr. Gold tell you?”

Henry looked over at the nurse and then back at his mother. They shared a knowing look and neither said a word until the nurse had left the room to give the two of them a moment of privacy.

“Is it true you and Emma were stuck in a curse together?”

“Yes,” she nodded and she reached out to stroke her fingers soothingly through his hair. “We were. It was all because—”

“Of your mom,” Henry finished. “Why would she do that?”

“I don’t know, Henry, but whatever the reason is, I have to figure it out so that I can stop her from trying to cast us into another curse,” she whispered. “Do you know where Emma is?”

Henry shook his head. “No, but Mr. Gold said that Beth isn’t even in Boston. She’s being held in an old farm—”

“Oh no,” Regina gasped. “My mother is in Storybrooke?”

“I guess, but Mom, we need to find Emma too.”

“Yes, yes we do.”

“Mom?”

“Yes, Henry?”

“How did you get out? How did you break the curse?”

“Henry—”

“Did you use magic to escape?” Henry asked, suddenly growing excited and desperate to hear the story. “Did Emma help you break the curse, Mom?”

“She did.”

“So, she really is the Savior!”

“Henry—”

“Mom, we’ve got to find her and bring her home.”

“Henry, there is something I need to tell you,” she said and her voice was soft. Tired, but soft. “I need you to listen very carefully and not jump to any conclusions, all right?”

“Okay.”

“I’ve told you before how many curses can be broken,” she began and Henry nodded as he shifted on the bed beside her anxiously. “There is only one way to break most of them and that is with a kiss, True Love’s Kiss.”

“I know that,” he grinned. “So, who was it?”

“It was us, Henry.”

“Huh?”

“Emma kissed me and the curse was broken.”

It took Henry a moment for that to truly sink in and once it did, he felt a whole host of different emotions, most of them delightfully happy and filled with glee that his mom and birth mother shared true love with one another. Another feeling washed over him and it was the feeling of “what now”, what would happen now? Would his mom and Emma end up together? Would—

“Henry,” Regina said as she cupped his face again and interrupted his stream of thoughts. “Do try not to jump to any conclusions.”

“I’m not! I’m just happy! Happy for you, happy for Emma!” He grinned and he took both of his mom’s hands in his own. “What happens now, Mom?”

“I am not certain, but since Emma and Beth are both missing, I think we need to make it our mission to find them.”

“Do you think Mr. Gold was telling the truth?”

“We will find out,” Regina said with a small nod. “Just as soon as Dr. Whale lets me leave.”

“Okay.”

“Now, tell me everything that I’ve missed.”

“Actually, Mom, I want to hear about what happened to you and Emma,” Henry said and she saw her roll her eyes, but in a way that she was slightly amused and not at all surprised. “Will you tell me?”

“Yes, of course, Henry. I promised you that I would not keep anything from you ever again.”

“I know.”

“So, it all began just before Emma left to return to Boston…”

[X]

Emma paced the small room and noticed how different it was than the room she’d been held in before. It was smaller and there was no hole in the wall with the man on the other side. It was quiet aside from the steady drip of water that came from an old pipe that ran overhead. There was also a draft coming from the far wall, a window that had been boarded up, and poorly at that.

After Emma had been knocked out by the witch who had put her in that place and sent her through a curse she’d thought she’d never escape from unscathed, she woke up furious and more determined than ever to get out of there, wherever she was.

Pacing wasn’t going to get her anywhere and she walked over to the boarded-up window and tried to reach for the wood plank closest to her. Despite that it was just out of reach, she stood on her toes and grabbed a hold of the damp wood, feeling how brittle and old it was as she tightened her grip as best as she could. After a few tugs, the board started to come loose and the rusty nails that were holding it shut started to pull free.

With a hard grunt, Emma pulled the board off and it clattered on the ground loudly. She gasped and tried to jump up to grab onto the second board, but it was just out of reach. She groaned in frustration before taking a look around the small room she was trapped in. Off in the corner by the steel door was a small crate. It didn’t look too sturdy and it wasn’t big, but it might just work, she decided as she grabbed it and brought it over to the boarded-up window.

Her desperation was making her antsy and anxious. After breaking free of the curse, she wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there and find Regina, if only just to make sure that she was okay. They’d deal with Regina’s evil witch of a mother together, she had no doubt about that, but _how_ was the question that was currently going through her mind.

She had tried not to think about the way they’d broken the curse or how the old witch had been right all along. She tried and failed as she struggled with the second board and her mind drifted to that very moment they had kissed, to the way it felt, to how quickly they had been ripped apart and out of the curse.

It angered her that they’d been pulled apart in their moment and she practically roared as she ripped the second board off of the window. The crate she stood on wobbled and she jumped off before tossing the wood board to the cement floor. The opening in the window wasn’t very big, but the glass was broken on one pane and it didn’t look like there was anything else to stop her from slipping out.

After waiting for a few minutes and listening carefully to make sure that Cora wasn’t coming for another surprise visit, she heard nothing aside from the steady drip of water from the pipe overhead. She moved the crate on its side to give her another two inches and she pulled open the broken pane of glass, the metal tough and rusted to the frame.

“Fuck, come on!” Emma groaned as she pushed it open as far as she could and she stumbled back off the crate. “Come on, you can do this. You’re almost out. Just pull yourself up and out. No different than all those times you’d done it before.”

She took a few deep breaths before she leaped up onto the crate and grabbed a hold of the edge of the windowsill. Using what little energy she did have, she pulled herself up and tried to squeeze through the small opening. It took a lot more effort than she thought it would and when she managed to get halfway through, she reached up for the edge of the window well and pulled herself out the rest of the way.

With a sigh of relief, she fell back onto the damp grass and looked up at the sky. Light was starting to fade with the dark clouds that were rolling in overhead. She had no idea just how many days had passed, but she was just more than relieved that she was back in her world.

Emma laid there for a few minutes before she got up and walked around the house. It was an old farm house and to the unknowing eye, it looked to be abandoned, condemned. She walked around until she saw the front porch light switch on and she hugged the corner of the wall before peering around. Cora walked out of the front door with a steaming hot cup in her hand and she exhaled sharply as she stood on the porch and looked out over the large and empty front yard. She moved back the way she had come quietly, wondering if she should just make a run for it or if she should try to rescue the man that was trapped down in the basement.

She quickly checked the perimeter aside from the front where Cora was still standing on the porch by the front door. There were no other windows, boarded up or otherwise. She was about to give up and just run when she spotted an old cellar door, almost hidden in the darkness beyond some brush that hadn’t been cleared away in many, many years.

She got to work, quickly and quietly clearing away the brush that blocked the cellar door. After about ten minutes, it was clear, but she didn’t trust that Cora was still out front. After she made her way around the side of the house and peered around the corner, sure enough, Cora was no longer standing on the porch and the light was off. She sighed in frustration and moved to hide in the shadows as headlights came up the gravel drive. An old car stopped, the brakes squealing loudly before the lights and the engine shut off and the driver’s door opened.

It was mere seconds after that the porch light turned back on and Cora emerged. Emma carefully peered around the corner to find Mr. Gold getting out of the car slowly.

“Well, it is about time you showed your face, Imp.”

“I figured it was due time, your majesty.”

Emma shook her head and crouched low as she moved to take cover just beyond the front porch to get a better vantage point.

“As you know, the curse was broken,” Cora said and there was such venom in her voice that it gave Emma chills. “It wasn’t supposed to be possible, Imp. Why did it happen?”

“I have no idea, your majesty,” he replied but he kept his distance, even backing up as Cora approached him. “But you called and I came. How can I be of assistance to you?”

“I need the Savior dead,” Cora said and she reached out to grab him by the red tie he was wearing. “I—”

“I’m sorry, your majesty, but the Savior is going to stay alive,” Mr. Gold said tightly and he reached out to grab her by the throat. “You, on the other hand, are the reason I cannot find my son.”

“No—I—”

“Enough, I am done with you,” he snapped and in an instant Emma watched Cora disappear. “Now, Emma, you may come out. I know you’re there. You and I have a few things we need to discuss.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been 10 1/2 weeks since I last updated and I apologize. Life got crazy busy over the summer and now that I have a family (partner and step-kids), writing kind of took a back burner and then work happened, but I am going to try my hardest to get back to writing and updating this story since I am determined to see it done! If you're still with me, thank you for still reading! We still got a ways to go yet :)

“True loves?” Beth laughed as she sat at the small table in the dusty old kitchen with Emma and Mr. Gold. “Are you freaking kidding me right now? This is some kind of a joke, isn’t it?”

“No,” Emma said quietly, her cheeks burning. “I’m not joking. Not about this. Why would I joke about having something like this with someone I don’t even know?”

“I mean, it is _Regina_ ,” Beth said and she shook her head. “Regina doesn’t do love. She told me she can’t—”

“It is what she believed,” Mr. Gold supplied. “I doubt she very much believes it herself even though it very clearly happened.”

“And you,” Beth said as she looked at the old man. “I thought you were the bad guy, the villain?”

“I was the Dark One, dearie,” he said with a scoff. “Just be lucky I chose to be on your side instead of against it, hmm?”

“But why?” Beth asked and Emma sighed. They’d been through this a few times in the last hour or so they’d all been talking and the man that had once been beyond the wall had been silent as he stood by the ancient coffee maker and sipped his third cup of coffee. Black. “Why this side if you’re, you know, evil?”

“Do you know why I ever became the Dark One in the first place, dearie?”

“For your son?” Emma offered.

“Because I was a coward,” Mr. Gold said and he sighed as he picked up the spoon beside his coffee mug and gave his coffee a little stir. “I was a coward and I wanted to prove to my son, to Bae, that I was anything but a coward. In turn, of course, he ran from me. I have been looking for him ever since. This curse on Storybrooke, it was meant to be broken, you see. Cora, that wretched woman, tried to ruin it for everyone, for me.”

“By taking Emma and Regina and placing them in another curse?” Beth asked. “So, what do I have to do with all of this?”

“You weren’t a part of the prophecy, dearie. For all intents and purposes, you don’t exist.”

“Uh, she very much exists,” Jefferson said, the first word he’d said since Emma let him out of the room that had been his prison for the better part of the last twenty-eight years. “She’s sitting right here, Imp. Plain as day. Existing as much as you and me.”

“I’ve been in this town since I was born and—”

“And you, aside from Henry, are the only one who has ever aged,” Mr. Gold said. “Have you ever wondered why that is?”

“Because I’m special?” Beth asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I don’t know why, so why don’t you tell me since you seem to know everything.”

“You weren’t meant to survive the curse,” he said and he looked over at Emma for a second. “Only one was meant to be the Savior. You weren’t even supposed to have survived birth.”

“Well, here I am, living and breathing and surviving. Why is that?”

“Magic.”

Emma scoffed but she reeled back when Mr. Gold just scowled at her and turned his attention back to Beth.

“Magic, dearie. You and Emma possess some very powerful magic, the purest in all the lands. The kind of magic only those born to the parents who are True Loves.”

“Our parents,” Beth said as she looked at Emma. “Our parents are Snow White and Prince-fucking-Charming?”

“A twist of fate has been set into motion, but by whom, by _what_ is anyone’s guess. Perhaps, it is the author of this book. You found it, didn’t you, Emma?”

“Ye—yes, I found a book. Pretty damn important book, isn’t it?” She asked and all she got was an incredulous look from all three sets of eyes that were on her in the room. “Cora took it from me.”

“She devised a plan to get you to retrieve the book when the time was right. It was protected, but because you found it—”

“ _How_ do you know so much?” Beth asked and she leaned forward, placing her elbows down on the table in front of her. “Are you just telling us what you think we want to hear?”

“What you choose to believe is on you, dearie. I, however, have spent twice your lifetimes searching and waiting for the moment I can see my son again,” he said and he paused, clearing his throat as he looked over at Jefferson and motioned for him to leave.

Emma watched as the man she’d never seen the face of but felt a certain connection to even despite the situation in which they met—and which had been their destiny, their fate.

“You two, you are connected. It’s one of many branches of this story,” he said and he gently removed the spoon from the mug he was still slowly stirring. “It’s up to you, Emma, to break this curse this town has been in for the last twenty-eight years.”

“Think I can break it the same way I broke the other?”

Mr. Gold just laughed. “It is something to try, but not guaranteed. True Love’s Kiss comes in many forms, whether it be with a lover or between a parent and their child. Now, this book, do you know where it is?”

“Cora took it from me back in Boston,” Emma replied. “She probably has it hidden here somewhere.”

“Jefferson?” Mr. Gold called out and Jefferson quickly appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Can you have a look and see if the book is here?”

“Yes, of course, Rumplestiltskin.”

“Mr. Gold is fine,” he said. “In fact, once the dark curse is broken, I plan to leave and never return.”

“To find your son,” Beth said and he nodded. “So—”

“Cora had him trapped,” Emma blurted out. “In the first part of the curse. We broke it so that means he isn’t there anymore, right?”

Anger marred the old man’s face and then he simply nodded. “As would anyone else who that spiteful bitch put there as well.”

Beth looked at Emma and shook her head. “How do you know we can trust Jefferson to bring that book back to us when he finds it? How do you know he’s not working for her? How do we know that we can trust _you_?”

“Benefit of a doubt, dearie,” he drawled, but the anger on his face was still clear to see and Emma gave Beth a pointed look for her to stop edging the old man on. “The book, once Jefferson finds it and returns with it, will be in your hands. I have no doubt that it will provide you with the answers you need to break this curse.”

Emma sat there and stared at the old man, and something deep inside of her believed every word he had said. Did she trust him? Not at all, but he knew more than he should and that made her want to keep him on their side if it helped them—her break the curse.

“You know what, let’s just get out of here, Emma,” Beth said as she got up from her chair, but Emma didn’t move. “Emma? Come on, we can just leave. Riley—”

“No,” Emma said. “I am not leaving without that book.”

“What is so damn important about this book?”

“You have no idea,” Emma said under her breath and Beth slowly sat back down. “When we were trapped in that curse in the Enchanted Forest, we met a witch by the name of Calais. That book tells the future.”

“Knowing what is to be isn’t always a good thing,” Beth said and she looked like she was raging a war within herself, a losing battle. “Why does it matter so much to you, Emma? A few weeks ago, you had no idea any of us existed. You didn’t even care—”

“Everything has changed, Beth,” Emma said and she stared at her twin, wondering if everything was going to change yet again. “The things that I didn’t know about before, the things I didn’t care about—these are the things that are a part of my life now.”

“Life and this branch of your fate are in a constant state of change,” Mr. Gold offered nonchalantly. “If this is the path you are choosing, then follow the road it leads down.”

“It can’t be that easy,” Beth said. “Can it?”

“It can,” he said. “If only you allow yourself to take the path instead of trying to avoid it. Your life, Beth, has always held meaning, you just didn’t know it until Emma Swan came into it.”

As skeptical as Beth had been, Emma saw a spark in her eyes for the first time since they all sat down to talk. There was a lot more to be discussed, a lot of it having nothing to do with the man that sat across from them or the man who had been held captive for twenty-eight years. When they were alone, they would talk, as Emma had quite a few questions for Beth regarding their prior sexual relationship and how that would affect the future.

Emma wanted nothing more than to get the book and leave, to return to Riley, to hold her daughter in her arms after days of being apart and not knowing if she’d ever see her again. But, that wasn’t her only priority. She needed to find Regina, she needed to be sure that Regina was okay, she needed to see with her very own eyes that everything was back to normal. She also needed to make sure that Henry was okay, too.

Everything else could wait until she was reunited with her daughter, her son, and the woman whom she’d shared True Love’s Kiss with. Her priorities were that of her family and to think the only family she had just a few weeks ago had only been her daughter, it was everything she had spent a lifetime wishing for.

Her family, however, was far from complete. Her and Beth’s parents were still trapped by the curse, not knowing who they truly were, and until the curse was broken, her family would remain incomplete.

“I think I’ve found it,” Jefferson said as he lingered in the doorway, his face pale and unreadable.

“Well, where is it?” Mr. Gold asked as he rose from his chair.

“I tried to take it,” Jefferson said. “It’s protected by magic.”

“Show me,” Mr. Gold demanded and Emma, along with Beth, followed Jefferson and the old man out of the kitchen and down a hallway to a room that was dark aside from where the book sat on a small table and it was glowing. “Blood magic.”

“Blood magic?” Beth asked.

“Only those who are blood-related can break this spell,” he said. “It seems that Cora didn’t anticipate Regina ever returning to this realm when she cast the spell to protect the book.”

Emma frowned. “We need Regina.”

“Yes,” Mr. Gold said with a heavy sigh. “We need Regina, but…I am not certain she will trust me, she has no reason to.”

[X]

She was skeptical. She didn’t trust the Imp. She had never trusted him, even when she was young and stupid and learning magic for the first time with him. She knew Beth did not trust him and she was having a hard time reading Emma to see if she trusted him too.

She had barely been out of the hospital and back home for all but five minutes when Emma and Beth knocked on the front door. Henry was elated to see them both, flinging himself first at Beth and then at Emma, both women not sure how to react. It was in those few minutes of the reunion on the front steps that Mary Margaret showed up with Riley.

It pulled at Regina’s heart when she saw the emotional reunion between Emma and her precious daughter. She wrapped her arms around her son and held him tight as Emma and Riley snuggled into one another, both crying tears of happiness.

Once they were inside and Mary Margaret took the children into the den while Regina, Emma, and Beth went into the study to talk. It took everything in Regina not to ask Beth for a few minutes alone with Emma, seeing how their moment had been torn from them so quickly. She tried to ignore the swarming of thoughts rushing around in her head as the three of them settled down on the sofas by the fireplace, Emma and Beth on one and Regina alone on the other.

They both took turns talking about what had happened when Emma had woken up from the curse trapped in the old farmhouse where Regina’s mother was holding them both captive. She was surprised to learn that the Imp had made her mother disappear with magic, though neither of them could tell her what he’d done with her. Regina knew after hearing that, that she would not be able to trust him until he told her exactly what he did with her mother.

When they told her of the book, of the spell protecting it, she grew angry. Rumplestiltskin wanted that book and not for the reasons he had given to the twins. Everything with him came with a price and she warned them that they were foolish to trust him.

But, despite that, Regina knew they needed that book and that they would have to do whatever it took to get it, even if that meant _she_ would be the one to break the spell her mother cast over it.

“I will need to go to my vault first,” she said as she relaxed back on the sofa, her eyes barely leaving Emma. “I need some supplies. My magic, it’s not as strong as it should be just yet.”

“When do you want to do that?” Beth asked and she looked over at her curiously. “Today?”

“In a rush, are you?”

“No, just kind of want to go home and take a really long, really hot shower and knock back a few drinks just to forget about the fucked up couple of days I’ve just had,” Beth sighed and she shook her head. “I’m sure you two want to do the same. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s even been like to have gone through everything that you just went through.”

“Yes, it’s quite good to be home,” Regina said softly and she caught the small smile that Emma flashed at her briefly that stirred the butterflies deep in her core. “May I propose a proper dinner? Everyone is invited, of course.”

“Lasagna?” Beth asked as she leaned forward and Regina could practically see her salivating already. “Yeah?”

“Yes, of course, if nobody minds eating late.”

“Definitely don’t mind,” Emma said and Regina just beamed in delight. She wasn’t ready for Emma to leave just yet. “As tired as I am, I feel like I am just bursting with energy right now.”

“As do I,” Regina agreed and she stood up from the sofa slowly and ran her hands down her fresh slacks she’d thrown on before the twins had shown up at the door. “I could use some help preparing dinner. Would one of you mind?”

“I would love to help, but that shower is really the only thing on my mind right now,” Beth said and she rolled her shoulder until it cracked a little. “Do you mind if I head home, shower and come back for dinner later?”

“I don’t,” Regina said and she felt the butterflies in her stomach jump excitedly. “Emma, would you mind helping?”

“I suck in the kitchen,” she muttered under her breath. “But uh, just tell me what to do and I’ll do it. At least as best as I can.”

“See you guys later,” Beth said as she quickly rushed out of the study and left them alone.

“She’s quite eager for that shower, huh?” Emma laughed and for a second, Regina thought she sounded a little nervous. “I could really use a shower too.”

“As could I. I haven’t had much of a spare moment since returning from the hospital. I do suppose it will have to wait,” Regina said and she walked over to the liquor cabinet. “Would you like something to drink, Miss Swan?”

“We’re definitely past that,” Emma chuckled throatily as she walked up behind Regina. “Way past the whole Miss Swan thing.”

“Yes, I suppose—”

“Christ, Regina,” Emma groaned in annoyance. “Did that kiss change nothing between us? Because the way I see it, it changed—”

“Everything,” Regina finished as she spun around to face the blonde. “It changed everything, Emma.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I ask just one thing?”

“Anything.”

“Can we let it go for a day or two?” Regina asked and she frowned at the crestfallen look on Emma’s face. “We’ve only just returned home. We have to retrieve the book and find out what Rumple did with my mother.”

She also needed to find out just how long Rumplestiltskin had been with his own dark magic, too. Despite what he had told the twins about leaving Storybrooke to find his son and never return, Regina did not believe it would be the last they saw of him.

“I can do that for you if you can do one thing for me,” Emma whispered and Regina closed her eyes as Emma’s hands fell to her waist. “Can we finish what we started before?”

“Are you asking to kiss me?” Regina asked, her eyes still closed as she focused on the feel of Emma’s hands on her hips and the warmth and softness of Emma’s breath that fell upon her lips. “You didn’t ask before.”

“So,” Emma drawled out slowly and Regina inhaled sharply as she felt the gentlest of touch by Emma’s lips against her own. “Does that mean I can?”

Regina, with trembling hands, placed them over Emma’s and ran them up her arms slowly, wishing she could feel Emma’s skin beneath her fingertips and not the roughness of her white long-sleeved shirt she had on. She stopped when she reached Emma’s round and firm shoulders and grasped at her shirt.

“What are you waiting for, Miss Swan?”

“Just because we broke the curse with a kiss, doesn’t mean I can kiss you whenever I want now. I want your permission. I want you to tell me that it’s okay.”

_That you want me to_ , was the message that resonated through Regina. She blinked open her eyes and looked into Emma’s. The green was so much more prominent in the dim light of the study and she could almost see a hint of blue mixed in. She had stared into Beth’s eyes before and found nothing, many times over, but Emma was different in every way.

Regina looked down at Emma’s lips while slowly licking over hers, the anticipation to feel those lips and that tongue again was almost becoming too much. She was _yearning_ for more. She slipped her hands from Emma’s shoulders to the nape of her neck and inhaled deeply before closing the hairsbreadth distance between them. Their lips had barely touched before Emma was reeling back and it took Regina a few seconds to realize why.

“Mom, can everyone stay for dinner?” Henry asked and Regina sighed as she watched Emma casually step away and run her fingers through her hair.

“Yes, of course. We were just going to have a drink before heading into the kitchen to prepare the lasagna.”

“Awesome!” Henry exclaimed and he nearly ran out before stopping short. “Mary Margaret can stay too, right?”

“Of course, dear. I have to show my gratitude for her taking you in while I wasn’t able to care for you.”

“You still don’t like her, do you?” Emma asked once Henry had run out of the room.

“Not at all,” Regina said as she turned her back to Emma to pour them each a small glass of aged Scotch she’d been saving for a special occasion. “But that doesn’t mean she cannot stay. As I said, I have to show my gratitude for taking care of my son. And your daughter.”

“She still has no idea who she really is, does she?”

“No.”

“Is there any way that we can change that in case we can’t, you know, break this curse anytime soon?”

“Do you honestly think she’d believe any of this?” Regina asked and she turned to hand Emma her glass. Upon Emma’s dumbfounded look, Regina nodded. “Exactly.”

Emma once again looked nervous and Regina watched her as they both took a sip from their glass. She had no qualms about Henry seeing them together, especially locked in a kiss or embrace, but after seeing Emma’s reaction, she wasn’t sure what to think.

“So,” Emma said quietly. “How about we get started on dinner, yeah? I’m starving.”

“Yes, of course,” Regina nodded and gestured to her. “Follow me, dear, and I’ll teach you how to make the best lasagna you’ll ever taste.”

[X]

It was quiet around the table as everyone finished eating. Regina had gone as far as digging out an old, expensive bottle of wine for the adults to drink and allowed Henry soda instead of water or juice. Beth had returned just in time for dinner, freshly showered and changed, which made Emma envious she’d been able to wash the dirt and grime off of her that had built up over days being held captive in that dank old basement cell.

Nobody spoke of what had happened over the last handful of days, a silent agreement made upon them not to speak of it in front of Riley and Henry. It made small talk feel awkward and Emma could see the tension building in Regina just being around Mary Margaret for the period of time she’d been at the house.

Emma sat almost across from Regina at the table, sandwiched between Henry and Riley, with Mary Margaret sitting next to Riley and Beth beside Henry. It was almost comical at how Regina had purposely moved one seat over to leave an empty chair between herself and Mary Margaret.

“Where will you and Riley stay tonight?” Mary Margaret asked as she broke the heavy silence around the table. “Assuming you aren’t making the drive back to Boston tonight.”

“Kind of impossible to make the drive back tonight when my care isn’t here,” Emma replied. “I—I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“You and Riley are more than welcome to stay here,” Regina offered casually. “I have a guest room with a bed you two can share.”

“Well—”

“Can we stay, Mommy?” Riley asked as she tugged on the sleeve of her shirt. “Please, Mommy?”

“We can have a slumber party!” Henry said in unison and his smile faded quickly when Emma just shook her head. “Please, Emma? I know you and Mom have been gone for days, but it’s just for tonight. You said you hadn’t thought that far ahead and Mom just offered the guest room for you and Riles.”

“Riles,” Emma said as she looked at her daughter. “Since when does anyone else other than me call you that?”

“Henry does!”

“I thought that was our special thing?”

“It is,” Riley pouted. “Henry is my brother—”

“Half-brother, kiddo, but Regina is his mom now, remember?”

“They are still family,” Mary Margaret added and Emma sighed as she looked over at the woman that was meant to be her mother and yet appeared to be the very same age as her. “They’re only children, Emma. Let them have this, if even just for this moment in time.”

“Please,” Regina said as she looked straight at Emma. “I want you and Riley to stay. I insist.”

“I guess we can—”

“Yay!” Riley exclaimed. “We’re staying!”

“Just for _one_ night, Riles,” Emma said calmly. “One night and tomorrow Regina, Beth and I have something we need to take care of and then I’m going to figure out how to get us home.”

“I can take you guys,” Beth offered. “I have to get the car I borrowed anyway.”

“Sounds good to me,” Emma said and she licked her dry lips as she avoided the intense stare that Regina was giving her. “One night, Riley, and I want you in bed at your normal bedtime. Which was,” Emma paused to glance at the clock on the wall and frowned. “Ten minutes ago.”

“Let them stay up,” Beth said and she gave Henry a playful nudge in the shoulder. “Their moms just came back. They deserve a night where bedtimes don’t matter, don’t you think?”

“Do you want any help with the dishes, Regina?” Mary Margaret asked as she was the first to rise from the table. “I could help clean up and head off.”

“It’s fine, dear. You’re a guest. Henry and I will take care of things. Beth?” Regina said and Emma watched the two of them exchange an unknown look. “Will you show Emma and Riley to the guest room and show Emma where the towels are kept, please?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Emma took that as her cue to down the last of her wine before following Beth with Riley out of the dining room and up the grand spiral staircase.

“You’ve really spent a lot of time here, haven’t you?”

Beth paused on the landing and sighed. “Yeah, I have. Look, Emma, what went on between Regina and I—”

“It was just sex.”

“It was, but it was something else. It was a play of power,” she said quietly and cleared her throat as Riley looked up at her curiously. “Come on, kiddo, let me show you how big the bed is you’ll be sleeping on tonight! It’s probably the world’s most comfortable bed.”

“My big girl bed is better.”

Beth laughed and Emma picked Riley up into her arms and kissed her face silly. She followed Beth the rest of the way up the stairs and into the guest room, which looked like something that belonged in a five-star hotel and not a home. Emma let Riley down and let her run right over to the queen-sized bed with expensive looking sheets, stopped by Beth before she could tell Riley not to climb up and jump on it a couple of times.

“Let her be, she’s exhausted and has a full belly. She’s also very happy you’re back, Emma.”

“I know.”

“Look, I don’t want things to be weird,” Beth said quietly. “You know, because of what happened with you and Regina.”

“It will always be weird knowing she was screwing around with the twin sister I never knew I had,” Emma said under her breath. “That’s all it ever was?”

“I swear,” Beth said as she placed a hand over her heart. “I am in love with Graham.”

“Does he know?”

“No.”

“You need to tell him.”

“I—I want to, but…” Beth trailed off as Riley squealed in delight when she fell onto the bed and snuggled into the soft pillows. “The thing is, Emma, you have no idea how deep this curse runs, how much control Regina has had over these people before and during it, even now.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“She has his heart.”

“What?”

“She has his heart,” Beth repeated. “She’s had his heart since before she cast the dark curse.”

Emma shook her head and Beth pulled her out into the hallway, stopping in front of a narrow door to pull out a few towels. She knew there was a lot of things she did not know, about Regina, about the curse, everything, but she had a feeling that even when she finally knew absolutely everything, it wouldn’t change how her heart, her _soul_ felt.

“Look,” Beth said as she placed a hand on Emma’s arm, pulling her from her thoughts. “I know Regina isn’t who she used to be, not with you at least. I know deep down that Regina is a good person, I’ve seen that side of her.”

“You’ve seen a lot of sides of her, apparently.”

“Em, that’s over. It was the moment she met you. It’s never going to happen again, okay? Besides,” Beth said with a soft chuckle. “I saw the way she kept looking at you all through dinner.”

“Looking at me how?”

“Like she didn’t see anyone else. Like nobody else existed. I’ve never seen her look at anyone like that before.”

Emma tried not to smile like a love-sick fool, but she couldn’t help it. She shrugged it off as she held onto the fluffy white towels tightly and gave Beth a look.

“Bathroom is right there,” Beth said as she pointed to a door almost directly across from the guest room. “You’re going to—”

“Need a change of clothes,” Emma frowned as she looked down at the clothes she’d apparently been wearing for the last five days since Cora had kidnapped her from Miss Carla’s apartment in Boston. “Riley is going to need—”

“Already got that covered, the bag is in the cruiser,” Beth said and she idly reached up to scratch at the scar on her chin. “I’ll run down and get it. You, you need a shower.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You want me to keep an eye on Riley while you do that? I’ll put the bag in the room while you shower.”

“Thanks, Beth.”

Emma watched Beth retreat into the bedroom and then smiled at the laughter that flowed out a moment laughter from Beth and Riley. She walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, clicking the button lock before she turned to take it all in.

The shower looked like heaven, large but not overly so. She quickly stripped out of her clothes and reached in to turn the faucet on. Steam soon filled the shower and she stepped in, moaning as the hot water rained down on her and soothed every muscle in her aching, tired body.

There were various bottles, all unlabeled, and she picked one up and opened the cap to give it a sniff. Body wash. A body wash that smelled like Regina. Emma inhaled deeply before pouring a healthy handful and began to spread it around her body, her eyes closed, her mind wandering to less than innocent places as she ran her sudsy hands over her breasts and down her stomach.

She stopped herself before she let her thoughts get away from her and picked up the second bottle as she rinsed herself off. This bottle was definitely shampoo and she tried to quickly wash her hair as her thoughts went from less than innocent to ones about worrying that her daughter was becoming too attached to life in Storybrooke.

Emma was still thinking the way she had always thought when it came to settling down. Boston had been the only place she’d spent more than six months in and a big part of why was because of Miss Carla. That woman had become family for her and Riley when they had no one else but each other. That woman was family until her life just ended because she was too old, too frail, too sick to recover.

A loud knock on the door jolted Emma from her thoughts and she gasped as she reached for the faucet to turn off the water.

“Yeah?”

“Bag is in the room with some fresh, clean clothes for you, Em,” Beth said, her voice muffled through the door and the pane of glass on the shower stall. “Henry is putting on a movie. I’ve already got Riley in some jammies. Will you come watch the movie with us?”

“Give me a few minutes,” Emma called out and she sighed heavily as she reached for the towel she’d left on the vanity and quickly began to dry herself off.

Emma wrapped her body in one towel and used the other to dry her hair as she exited the bathroom and walked to the guest room on the other side of the hall. She could hear the chatter and laughter drifting up from downstairs and it gave her such a warm feeling that she had never quite felt before. Again, she felt a sense of home in ways she never felt before and in a lot of ways it was unnerving and it was new and unusual, but welcoming all the same.

Emma shook her head, but it didn’t matter what all was happening at the moment, all that had happened, what did matter was that fluttering feeling deep inside that was so very new and so very welcome all at once. A part of her didn’t want to have hope because it always fell apart, but this wasn’t as it had always been and she had a feeling this wasn’t something she’d ever feel again with anyone else.

Maybe there was some weight to the whole true love thing. Maybe this really was what it was. But, she didn’t have any faith in holding onto hope because that had always, inevitably, failed her time and time again.

Emma opened the duffel bag that was left on the bed and pulled out the clothes inside. She gave the simple white t-shirt a quick sniff, inhaling the almost fresh scent of laundry detergent and fabric softener before pulling out a pair of Victoria Secret boy-shorts that still had the tag on. The next thing she pulled out was a simple yet practical sports bra, which was also new, and after that was only a pair of yoga pants.

That made her pull a face. She lived in jeans. Sweatpants were a downtime thing if any, but yoga pants? Again, she pulled a face, but still went on with getting dressed once she’d fully dried herself off. At least everything was comfortable, to wear awake or asleep if needed and at the moment, it was the only clean clothes she had until she could get back home to Boston.

She found a hair tie in the bag and after running her hands through her damp hair, she pulled it up into a loose ponytail. It felt good to be clean and in fresh clothes again, and after checking her appearance in the mirror over the dresser, she headed downstairs and found everyone settled down in the den and waiting for her so that they could start the movie.

“So,” Emma said as she was unsure of where to sit despite the only available spot being beside Regina. “What are we watching?”

“Despicable Me,” Henry answered and Riley clapped excitedly as it was a movie she hadn’t yet seen. “Mom, can we have some popcorn?”

“Yes, I’ll get that started. Why don’t you start the movie, Henry, and I’ll be right back.”

“We’re gonna need drinks too,” Henry said and Emma took that as her opportunity to follow Regina to the kitchen.

Emma just stood idly by, watching Regina move around her kitchen to get the popcorn and put it in the microwave before pulling out some plastic bowls from a cupboard under the counter by the stove.

“There should be juice boxes in the fridge,” Regina said without turning to look at Emma. “Would you like some wine? I have another bottle of what we were drinking at dinner.”

“Sure, that’d be great,” Emma replied with a small smile before opening up the refrigerator door and found the juice boxes neatly lined up on a shelf. “Is your whole life this organized?”

Emma mostly said it to herself as she noticed everything was precisely laid out and organized on each shelf. She heard Regina hum slightly behind her and she nearly dropped the juice boxes when she turned around to find Regina barely a foot away.

“I find it very practical to have everything in its own place.”

“I can see that.”

“There is nothing wrong with being organized.”

“Never said there was,” Emma chuckled lightly and she awkwardly looked over at the microwave. “I think the popcorn is done.”

“Hmm?”

“The popcorn?” Emma said and she shook her head at the distracted look on Regina’s face and stepped aside to try to stop the microwave before the popcorn started to burn. “Shit. It’s burnt.”

The smell of slightly burnt popcorn pulled Regina from her thoughts and she took the bag from Emma and tossed it in the sink. They just took one look at one another before they started laughing. Regina walked over to a window to open it to air out the smell and Emma just shook her in disbelief.

“How about you take the drinks out and I’ll take care of the popcorn, yeah?” Emma offered and after a curt laugh, Regina just nodded in agreement.

Emma had a funny feeling that a little thing like becoming distracted and burning popcorn was only just the beginning.


End file.
